Price of Victory
by Sun Daughter
Summary: Questionable alliances. Deception. Deadly chases. Fighting for their lives. It's all in a day's work for the Kabras. What exactly happened to Ian and Natalie when they left Korea for Lake Tash? Hear their story, and uncover the price of victory.
1. Preface

**Preface – The Truth**

Ian Kabra delicately unfolded the piece of parchment he'd found in his pocket that evening. He studied it with a careful eye, trying to remember why he had it. It was a professional-looking letter with small wrinkles and folds across its white surface. The bottom of the paper was crumbling from a burn, and he wondered how it'd found its way to the letter. He couldn't remember ever being so close to a fire. The writing was smeared but still legible. The Lucian crest was elegantly stamped at the bottom.

Ian scanned the writing, and, recognizing the signature at the end of the letter, he quickly smoothed out the edges with his palms and began to analyze the crinkled message.

* * *

_My children,_

_You are about to step into a world full of wonder and full of cruelty. Nothing is safe even when you feel secure. You must trust no one, yet you must learn to gain others' trust._

_Heed my words. This is a dangerous realm that not every person is forced to enter. You have been chosen for a reason._

_Everything that happens will happen for a reason._

_Everyone you meet will think twice about assisting you, but nobody will hesitate to kill you. There are some people who have the capability of serving as friends and some who will stop at nothing to bring you down. Be able to tell the difference or you will come to your own foolish demises._

_If you fail, the Lucian branch will not hesitate to bring you down.  
If you fail, I will not hesitate to bring you down.  
If you fail, you will be an embarrassment to your family and everything they stand for.  
Does this give you enough incentive for success?_

_Remember that you are Kabras, and Kabras never lose.  
We never lose under any circumstances._

_Signed,  
Isabel Kabra_

* * *

This had all been too true.

Ian could remember reading every sentence of the letter about two months ago. Time had flown by, and it seemed like only yesterday he had been on a flight to Kyrgyzstan. It seemed like yesterday that he had left his cousins for dead in Korea. Yet somehow, it simultaneously felt like a million years ago. The memories were fresh in his mind, but the emotions attached to them were long gone. He was a different person.

A few weeks ago, he had come to learn the meaning of this note and regretted every move he'd made. Even surviving with his guilt, he had succeeded. He had not come to a foolish demise. Still, success had a burden that took an unimaginable toll on his life.

He had been at the mercy of bystanders, worthless peasants. He'd made a questionable alliance and was still unsure whether or not he regretted his choice. He had come face to face with an instant but painful death. His life could have ended… right then and there.

He had made an ally with someone who had none, and he wondered if they could have ever been more than that. He had been on the edge of death for days and yet survived, only to watch that ally sacrifice their life for his. He had witnessed a _friend_ sacrifice their life for his.

Never again would he grow that close to someone. It was too painful to lose them, and nobody would ever feel the pain of losing the only person who understood them. The memories were too agonizing to recall. Despite the tough outer shell Ian put on for others, he was still much too vulnerable.

Ian glanced down at the paper as his memoirs drowned from his mind and faded into dust. He wished he had followed his mother's advice more closely. Every word of Isabel's letter had been all too true. His mother did not understand the truth in her own words. She still had yet to learn the consequences of her actions.

She still had yet to learn the price of victory.

* * *

**Next chapter: Unsurpassable Guilt**


	2. Unsurpassable Guilt

**Special thanks to: **_Joelle8, music4evah, Kendelle, LucianWriter77, Another Artist, Little Lobster, psychoticbookgirl, EveryOtherUserNameTaken, Illuminating Flames, New Gloom, Cecily, thatgirltasha2, ToReadandWrite, wind in the willows 9, Cascading Rainbows, raindrahp, Klbooks screamattheskyx3, troubadour12, _**and**_ TheWonton _**for reviewing the preface.** **Chapter 1 – Unsurpassable Guilt**

_Ian Kabra  
~ Everyone you meet was put into your life for a reason.  
You have to discover that reason.  
And learn to appreciate it before it is too late. ~_

_**A few months previously…**_

Ian sprinted away from the collapsing cavern with his younger sister Natalie close behind, grasping her dart gun.

_What had those Cahill brats done to make the cave explode and crumble to the ground? There was nothing inside but swords and a useless mirror – unless Dan had carried in a bomb or something ridiculous like that._

Ian shook his head and puhed his loose hair from his eyes. That sounded _exactly_ like something eleven-year-old Dan Cahill would do.

_Just a few more feet_, Ian told himself, _and we'll be at their private helicopter_. Even with the small thought of encouragement, it was still hard to push himself to run any faster. The oversized pants he'd borrowed from Alistair didn't help either; they slowed him down, if anything.

"Move, Ian! Faster!" Natalie snapped behind him.

Ian smirked at his sister's fury and continued jogging at the same pace. She was only complaining because her hair was flying every which way and getting snarled in the howling air. She also probably didn't like the feeling of tough earth against her expensive white shoes.

Finally, they approached their sleek black helicopter. The swirling wind of the rotors made Ian and Natalie's elegant clean clothes flap in the harsh wind. Natalie hopped onto the platform in a flash, but Ian glanced back a moment. He felt the shaking ground, knowing it led to the cave where he had left his cousins. The cavern was a little more than a mile away now, but he still felt the vibrations. His mouth twitched as he felt a twinge of remorse. It was such a pity to leave his cousins and uncle in the quake, especially Amy. It was such a waste of talent.

"Ian, stop being dramatic, and hop on before cops get here," Natalie demanded.

Ian shook the feeling aside and joined his sister on the platform, clutching the old gold coin they had used to lock the cavern shut.

"The White Swan Hotel," Ian ordered the pilot.

He and Natalie quickly buckled their seatbelts as the copter shakily lifted from the ground as if testing its strength. Natalie began to whine about her hair and tried to fix it with her portable brush. Ian rolled his eyes and ignored her. He slunk into the hard seat and rested his eyes. It had been a long afternoon.

The regret returned. He felt so guilty, but he convinced himself it would wear off soon. He scrunched his lips together and tried to brush off the sentiment. It felt strange and he wasn't about to get used to it. Finding no one at fault besides himself, he blamed the plan. If it were anyone but Amy, it might have been easier for him to move on with his life.

He knew the alliance with the Cahill kids wouldn't last long, so why did he want it to? So he could toy with his cousin's delicate emotions some more? His lips curled into a conceited smile. He knew Amy would have it ten times worse. If she survived – and he _knew_ she would – it would be an interesting reunion. He couldn't wait.

Ian shook his dark hair again, and he told himself he was only fourteen and it was stupid to be thinking about these things.

It was approximately a twenty-minute ride. When they flew into sight, the hotel was nearly impossible to miss, being extremely bright and luxurious, lighting up the early evening sky. Even though Alistair had allowed them stay at his so-called "mansion," Ian and Natalie were one step ahead as usual. Another reservation had been made at the White Swan Hotel.

The pilot parked his helicopter in a parking lot a few blocks from the hotel to not attract too much attention. A mild crowd watching the Kabras drive away in the limousine would be sufficient.

The helicopter parked, and Ian and Natalie gracefully stepped out, looking like highly- trained super models. Ian's dark hair was side-swept in the breeze, but it looked purposely disheveled. Natalie, on the other hand, was desperate in her attempts to tame her wild mane. Ian saw her put on a sophisticated smirk, hoping draw the eye to her poised face, away from her tresses.

"We'll be sure to have father send you a nice tip," Natalie told the pilot sweetly.

Ian followed Natalie to the white limousine that was waiting at the edge of the parking lot. They hopped in, slammed the door, and then slipped on identical dark tinted sunglasses. Their demeanor, clothes, and attitude made them seem almost five years older than they actually were. The driver made his way over to the hotel, driving about ten miles per hour in the heavy rush hour traffic.

Ian and Natalie didn't talk much on the short drive. They already knew the drill. It was goodbye Korea, hello Kyrgyzstan.

Natalie drummed her fingers on the armchair and stared out the window at the bright city billboards. Ian rubbed his thumb over the surface of his father's old coin. His sunglasses slipped onto his nose as he studied it intently. Even old, the coin really was strikingly attractive. Ever since he'd spent time with his history geek cousin, he'd learned to appreciate the beauty of the past a little more.

Ian wrinkled his nose in disgust again. He needed to stop thinking about Amy. She was dead anyways… At least, that was the excuse he gave himself.

The limousine parked in front of the hotel, and Natalie stuffed her dart gun into an inner jacket pocket before swinging the door open.

They marched into the lobby then up to the front desk. Ian easily used his charm to manipulate the pretty secretary into thinking he was old enough to take care of himself and his sister. As soon as he told her his last name was Kabra, he was promptly given the key to their suite.

When they entered the room, Natalie examined the suite with a careful eye. Ian sank into a cushy loveseat and just realized how truly exhausted he was. He peaked out the window and saw the cars moving like snails below. The sounds of busy traffic and the brisk walking of people returning from work relaxed him. Business was pleasant and made him feel right at home.

His tensed muscles relaxed, and his head felt heavy. His eyelids fluttered as he crossed his arms and sank deeper into the chair. In less than five minutes, he was sound asleep.

"Wake up. We're going to miss the flight." Natalie shook his shoulders.

Ian's sunglasses flopped off his face, and he sat up straight, suddenly alert. He stretched his arms and looked at his sister who wore a purple blouse and a short black skirt. Her hair was pulled to the side in a low ponytail, and she was wearing small gold earrings.

"Get up, lazy." Natalie picked up his glasses and putting them back on his head.

Ian twice and looked around. He was still out on the balcony, but it was dark. Cool air surrounded them both on the porch. Why had Natalie gotten him up in the middle of the night? He shot her a glare.

"It's a _private jet_, Natalie. _Private_," he emphasized. "And we're its only passengers."

"It's five o'clock. If you want to get to Kyrgyzstan by two o'clock today, you'd better get your butt out of that chair and down to the lobby in fifteen minutes." Natalie left him alone on the balcony.

After a relaxing shower, Ian took the elevator down to the lobby and casually strode over to his, who was leaning against a white marble column sophistically. He joined her and adjusted his white collar.

"Took you long enough," she commented.

Ian chortled rudely at the sour tone in her voice. _Why was she so bitter?_ She certainly didn't act like they were ahead of all their competitors in the Hunt.

An hour later, they sat in their private plane.

Ian looked and felt half asleep, but Natalie was up and vigilant, itching to hunt for some clues. Ian thought she looked like a mini Irina Spasky and expected her eye to start twitching any minute. The pilot announced a few things into the speaker, but Ian didn't catch any of them. He was suffering from severe fatigue and soon drifted off into a light sleep.

In his dream, he was in a damp cave.

_"I am going to search for another exit," Alistair was saying. "Amy, you and Dan look for any weakness in the rock wall. If bats live here, there must be some source of air, some kind of hole." Ian tossed in his sleep, but in his dream, he took in his surroundings. It wasn't completely dark, but it wasn't exactly exploding with light either._

_Ian felt his heart racing. Why was he back in the cave?_

_"Amy? Dan? Where am I?" he asked. "Alistair! What are you doing here? What am_ I _doing here?" Nobody seemed to hear him._

_"AGGH! GROSS!" he heard Dan yell. All the voices echoed in the dark cave._

_"Dan, you must never, ever give in," Alistair said._

_Ian didn't understand what they were talking about at all. He felt he'd missed an important part of their conversation._

_"A problem is merely a solution waiting to be found" Alistair continued. "We will make it out of here – and I predict we will beat the Kabras to Lake Tash –" Ian smirked. They would never beat him and Natalie to Kyrgyzstan._

_"Dude, we're not going to Lake Tash," Dan responded._

_Ian's eyes widened._

_"But – the anagram-" Alistair stammered._

_"I saw the real answer right away, but I didn't trust them. I threw something out to test them. The real answer is, like, a no-brainer."_

_Ian began listening intently to their conversation as Dan scribbled on a piece of paper._

_"Wait!" Amy blurted out._

_Ian spun around to look at her, but his dream shifted before he could hear any more of their conversation._

_Suddenly, he was with the Holts in the backseat of their beat-up minivan._

_"Which way did they go?" Eisenhower Holt was yelling at the top of his lungs in a military command voice. His wife, Mary Todd, didn't seem to notice the volume of his question over her kids all arguing in the back._

_"The private airport!" she said loudly, attempting to scream above her kids' raging war. "Hurry! We need to find out where they are going!"_

_Eisenhower swerved in the traffic to the Kabra's private airport, and Ian slammed against a window. The gate stopped the car, the front door swung open, and Eisenhower rolled out of the van in a perfect somersault._

_Ian did his best to look over Hamilton's broad shoulders. Eisenhower peaked through the gate and watched as the Kabras' private jet lifted from the ground._

_Ian started to panic again. He was supposed to be on that jet. _What was he doing with the Holts? Where was Natalie? _He did his best to climb over the Holt twins inconspicuously and slip out the front door from which Eisenhower had come._

_"Kyrgyzstan!" Eisenhower yelled to Mary Todd. Mary Todd nodded and then yelled at her kids to shut up._

_Ian frowned at Eisenhower, confused. "How did you figure that out?" he asked, forgetting he was trying not to get noticed._

_"It said on their jet! Are you questioning my authority, sergeant?" Eisenhower yelled into the back of the van._

_"We did not say anything, sir!" Hamilton, Reagan, and Madison replied in unison._

_Eisenhower's frowned scrunched, but he hopped into the driver's seat and closed the door. "Kyrgyzstan here we come!" he yelled, so loud, that Ian could hear it outside of the car. With that, the minivan drove out of sight just as quickly as it had come, leaving Ian in the dust._

_His dream shifted once again._

_"What do you mean you failed? Kabras never fail! Are you even listening to me?" came a voice that was all too familiar._

_Ian had never heard that voice _not _yelling at him. He winced at the harsh sound and looked around. Where was he this time? Ian looked behind him to see if the man was talking to someone else._

_"Ian Kabra, look at me when I'm talking to you," the voice demanded._

_Ian sat up straight and looked up to see a large man towering over him. "Yes, Father," he answered._

_"Kabras never lose, Ian. Kabras never lose! Don't you forget it! Do not let anyone else forget. Do you hear me? Kabras… never… LOSE!"_

_"Yes, Father." Ian hung his head like a scolded puppy._

_His dream shifted for a final time, back to the present._

Ian's eyes snapped open, and his neck straightened. Their jet was in the sky, and he had a piercing headache. He rubbed his eyes lazily and blinked twice, focusing his blurred vision. He ignored the sour pull in his stomach.

He turned to Natalie. "How much longer do we have on this plane?"

"About half an hour. It's about 1:35 I think," Natalie responded in a monotone voice.

He stretched once more, feeling refreshed, but he couldn't stop thinking about his dream. What if the hint telling them to go to Kyrgyzstan was really a clever fraud?

Curiously, he reached for his laptop and turned it on. Quickly, he typed "Lake Tash" into the search engine. It didn't receive many hits. All the results read something like: "Tash, Lake is on Facebook." Nothing provided any useful information, so he gave up and hoped his dream was just that… a dream.

"Mr. and Miss Kabra, please put all electronics away. We will be landing in about twenty minutes," the pilot announced. Ian sighed and closed his laptop.

"What did you find?" Natalie asked.

"Not much," Ian said. He knew she didn't actually care. She had the old Kabra attitude: everything would turn out fine if you just pulled a few strings. Ian usually lived by that as well, but he knew a podunk country like Kyrgyzstan wouldn't have many strings to pull, which made him the slightest bit nervous.

"Natalie," he said, grabbing her attention. His sister looked up, and Ian hesitated, seeing the hard expression in her eyes. "What if the clue is not in Kyrgyzstan… What if this is a trick?"

"Don't be silly, Ian," she scoffed a little too confidently, crossing her legs. "Whatever makes you think that?"

Ian thought about telling her about his dream, but the more he contemplated, the more he realized how stupid it would sound. He decided to hold back, just a little bit longer until it became absolutely necessary.

"Those Cahills are just tricky, that's all," he answered quickly, knowing that bringing up the topic of failure with his sister would not bode well.

"Do not let hesitation take over your train of thought, Ian," Natalie sniffed snobbily.

"Natalie, there is a reason we are going to Kyrgyzstan… Maybe the Clue Hunt isn't that reason."

Natalie snorted at how prophetic he sounded. "You are putting awfully a lot of trust in fate," she said in a voice as smooth as silk. "Snap out of it," she continued, more harshly. "Put your mind in the right set or we will not accomplish anything."

Ian nodded quickly as all his thoughts of the Cahill kids drained out of his mind. He instantly remembered what his parents would do if they failed once again. He agreed, "You're right. There is no way they could've tricked us," he added confidently with a sly smile.

Natalie nodded slightly in his direction in approval of his self-assurance. "Besides, we're Kabras," she said boldly.

Ian smirked.

"And Kabras never lose."

**Next Chapter: Miniscule Importance**


	3. Miniscule Importance

**Special Thanks to: **_LucianWriter77, EveryOtherUserNameTaken, music4evah, Little Lobster, .sist3r, Jenelle14, psychoticbookgirl, troubadour12, screamattheskyx3, Klbooks, Alexandera_**, and**_ Whisper of the Wings _**for reviewing.**

_LucianWriter77_** for doing a fabulous Beta job for this chapter.**

**Chapter 2 - Miniscule Importance**

_Natalie Kabra  
~Life is easy to just slide through.  
If you do, you will never enjoy the beauties surrounding.  
Learn to appreciate every little moment. ~_

Natalie sniffed the afternoon Kyrgyzstan air: _peasants, flowers, horses, peasants, mountains, more peasants, more mountains, and… more peasants._

Natalie sighed in the back seat the Kabra's sleek white limo and elegantly rested her chin on the curled palm of her hand. She silently watched the city fly by without complaint. There was barely anybody else on the road, mostly because the majority of the population traveled by horse. The road was only one lane, and it was a mix of dirt and dust, though there was a more attractive scenery. There were pretty red and yellow flowers lining the street, and everywhere you went, there were always majestic mountains to gaze at. _Yawn._ Flowers were only so beautiful for so long, and mountains never changed. After almost an hour of driving, these would bore anyone.

She glanced over at Ian who looked like he was contemplating the hardest problem known to man. Abruptly, Natalie realized what he was thinking about: the Cahill. His conscious was getting to him again. It was ridiculous how much he was thinking these days. There was nothing he would accomplish… and come to think of it, there was nothing _either of them_ could accomplish with him thinking so much.

"Ian, quit it," Natalie said. "_Now._" Ian sighed in disgust, and Natalie knew that he didn't want a repeat of their plane conversation. She pursed her lips, like her mother did when she was annoyed.

"I apologize," Ian replied, in a tone that was neither reassuring nor a convincing lie.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"That I really do not care," he sniffed.

"About what? The Hunt?"

Their interaction ended when he didn't respond.

This happened to be a typical conversation between Natalie and her brother. It started with a simple command or question, moved to a string of sarcastic, snobby, and cynical comments, and then usually ended when one of them just stopped making the effort to speak.

Since there was nothing better to do, Natalie went back to critiquing Kyrgyzstan's overall layout. The first thing anyone would notice about Kyrgyzstan would be the countless mountains. If you wanted to get away from their cold terrain, you would have to run for a long time… until you were out of Kyrgyzstan.

"Mr. and Miss Kabra, Lake Tash," the driver announced. He pulled up to a curb and opened the door for Ian and Natalie. They stepped out elegantly, and their hair blew to the side in the slight breeze.

Tash looked much more like a beach than a lake. There was a line of thick, gold sand that lined the edge of the water. It was not heavily populated.

"I do _not_ have a good feeling about this…" Ian commented quietly, as if not wanting to disturb the peacefulness of his surroundings. Natalie didn't answer. Usually, she got some sort of feeling that she was in the right place, be it a prickle on her arm, a familiar scent, or even a cold chill down her back. Lake Tash gave her nothing.

"Wait, what's that?" she asked excitedly, pointing to something in the middle of the lake. To her, it almost looked like something an Ekat would have invented, Ian rolled his eyes.

"_That_ is a fountain, Natalie," he told her. Natalie tightened her lips, feeling embarrassed.

"Well, what do we do now?" she asked lazily, not knowing where to turn.

"Let's search the lake for any of branches' crests, weird writing, anything out of the ordinary," Ian suggested. "Check everywhere." Natalie nodded. That had been his best idea all day.

"Meet back here in fifteen minutes," she agreed.Neither found anything.

"What _exactly_ gave you the notion that we were tricked?" Natalie asked him through gritted teeth. Ian swallowed; he didn't want to tell her. "Out with it, Ian! This is the Clue Hunt we're talking about. Every little thing we think, we feel, and we do matters," she continued, repeating the words of her mother before they left.

"A dream…" he admitted foolishly.

"What _exactly_ happened in your dream?"

"Well,Amy and Dan tricked us, and then the Holts found out where we were going. Natalie, it was just a dream. It doesn't mean anything," he added quickly.

"Never underestimate the knowledge of your mind," she said, even though it contradicted what she had told him on the plane. "Let's say your dream was correct. If so, then we've let those brats trick us into going to the wrong place, _and_ we have the Holts on our tail."

"And let's say it was incorrect," he returned. "Then we have nothing to worry about."

She wanted to slap some sense into him. "Calm down, Natalie," she told herself, closing her eyes and exhaling slowly. "Stress is bad for the skin."

Ian rolled his eyes for the millionth time that day. "Let's go towards the boardwalk over there. Maybe the hint isn't exactly located in Lake Tash itself," he suggested. Natalie nodded, and then Ian turned to the chauffer.

"We will be gone for about twenty to thirty minutes," he told the driver.

"Please go back to the hotel until we call. If we need anything, you can bring it to us," Natalie concluded. "Ian, do you have your phone?" she asked, and her brother nodded.

With that, they left for the boardwalk shops.

"Those are the cutest shoes!" Natalie exclaimed, pointing at a pair of yellow sandals. They would go perfect with exactly twelve of her outfits, maybe thirteen on a good hair day. The shoes were perched upright in one of the shop's windows.

"Stop, we don't have time for that right now," Ian snapped. "Have you seen anything related to what we are looking for?" Natalie shook her head. "Then let's go." Natalie frowned, knowing that she would come back for the shoes later, despite what her brother said.

They continued walking down the boardwalk, which was more populated than the lake itself. A lot of people were running around with shopping bags. None looked native to Kyrgyzstan, so Natalie assumed they were all just tourists.

"Look at _that_ place," she noted, looking at a small music store. "It looks _really_ Janus." The store had shelves lined with CDs and records. There were some electric guitars and electric keyboards spread across the walls. She suspected that there could possibly be a Janus crest somewhere in there.

"Let's check it out," Ian decided, and Natalie followed him into the store. It was pretty quiet, except for some classical music playing in the background. A few people were looking through some of the CDs. The store seemed horribly out of place in the old town, where mostly everything was aged and decrepit. The bright colors around her made Natalie's head spin. She was positive that something strange was going on here.

"Salamatsyzby!" someone said behind her, most likely speaking the native language of Kyrgyz. Natalie spun around to see one of the store's employees smiling at her. She had long light brown hair tied to the side in a ponytail. There was a small tag on her shirt that read _Dilara_. "Zdravstvujte!" she tried again, this time in a heavy Russian accent.

"I do not speak Russian," she informed her.

"Oh, English speaker," Dilara answered in an accent that made her words barely comprehendible.

"Yes," Natalie responded, exasperated. "How long has this store been open?"

"One, two years," Dilara responded unsurely. "Can I help you find something? You like music or CDs?"

"No, thank you," Ian replied politely, straightening up. "We were just looking." Natalie scanned the shelves that were filled with ornate CD covers. An idea came to her quickly.

"Can you take us to where all your new arrivals come in, please?" she asked sweetly in an innocent tone. "We are looking for a specific CD our parents asked us to buy." The employee looked at her strangely.

"New CDs? We put new CDs on the shelf," she answered. Natalie shook her head.

"Like, they just came in today," she spoke slowly so Dilara would understand her. Her tone became full of annoyance. Patiently, she resisted the urge to just push Dilara aside and to march back to their storage room herself without permission.

"They came in today? I will go check…"

"You are missing the point," Natalie said more directly and quicker. She could tell the girl had not understood a word she had just said. Ian looked at Natalie strangely, not knowing what she wanted. Finally, annoyed with everyone's lack of understanding, Natalie handed the employee a wad of money. Quickly, Dilara motioned for Ian and Natalie to follow her.

"Why didn't you just do that in the first place?" Ian asked her smoothly under his breath as they followed Dilara. "What are you after anyway?" he asked his sister impatiently.

"Really Ian, if the Janus were hiding something here, do you think they would put it out in the open where just anyone could see it?" she asked in a voice full of cynicism.

"The Janus are not always the smartest people," he commented lightly. "Look at Jonah Wizard and his family." Natalie rolled her eyes, thinking of how Cora Wizard would react to that comment.

Quickly, the two followed Dilara into the back. The store's storage area was repulsive, which made Natalie almost positive this was Janus territory. The room was musty with a light layer of dust covering the boxes stacked high with piles and piles of CDs. There were a few run-down posters of old musicians that were faded of their color and slightly torn around the edges. There was a door behind a bookcase and led outside. It reeked of what smelled like a worn-down library. The room was such a change from the bright store that Natalie had to blink several times to adjust her eyes.

"New CDs are here," Dilara told them. "I do not see anything new…" One look from Natalie's demanding eyes shut her up. "Take your time," she said quickly and then scurried back to the store. Natalie began to scan the area.

"Can we please leave?" Ian asked, wrinkling his nose. He casually leaned against the wall. Quickly, he took his arm off the poster and wiped the dust furiously off his elbow. "This place is hideous!" he exclaimed. "It doesn't hurt to get someone to dust for you every now and then."

He sounded exactly like his old self. At least it was an improvement from the innocent Amy-obsessed Ian that she loathed. Yes, the neat freak Ian was the preferred alternative.

"Perhaps they put in a secret trap door," he suggested.

Natalie picked up a peculiar-looking journal off the bookshelf by the back exit. It wasn't dusty like the other items on the shelf. It was solid black, but silver designs were revealed when she held it up to a lamp. The book was thick with clean white pages. Natalie flipped through the pages and found quick notes jotted down in unorganized paragraphs.

"Ian," she called. "Come take a look at this." Her brother joined her by the lamp and studied the notes in the pages. They were written in a heavy ink and were barely legible, as if written in a hurry. He took the book from her and flipped through the pages. Natalie peered over his shoulder as he came to inside of the back cover. Their eyes widened in astonishment.

On the inside cover was a beautiful portrait with an evergreen tinted shine to it. It was a wolf jumping on its hind legs. The wolf was twisted to the side and looking over its shoulder, as if it were being chased. Both Kabras recognized the symbol immediately. It was the Janus crest.

Everything that followed happened quickly to Natalie. She didn't stop to wonder why it was in plain sight before snatching the book from Ian's hands, slamming it shut, and then sticking it in one of her oversized jacket pockets. Suddenly, she heard one of store's employees' footsteps approaching.

"Let's get out of here," she whispered to her brother.

Ian nodded and turned to leave through the door they had come through. He quickly changed his mind and led them both out the back exit before they could be seen. It led to an empty courtyard, with a large trash dumpster and a few scattered empty crates. The ground was dry, but kind of musty, and the heavy grey clouds still hung overhead.

Ian pulled out his phone to call the chauffer, but before he could press a button, they heard a crack. It was loud and piercing, like one of the wooden crates had been snapped in half. It was followed by a heavy thump.

"Reagan, stop pushing me!" a female voice hissed from the side of the building, just loud enough for them to hear. Natalie's eyes widened in alarm. It was the Holts. Hastily, Ian grabbed her wrist tightly, and they bolted to the other side of the building to make their impulsive escape.

It happened so suddenly that neither of them had much time to react. Abruptly, Ian slammed into Eisenhower Holt's rock solid chest, letting go of Natalie. Eisenhower grabbed Ian's collar and lifted him from the ground. Natalie thought about making a run for it, but after weighing her chances, she figured there was no way. She also wasn't about to leave Ian behind with the phone.

"Miss us?" Eisenhower asked Ian, and Natalie stared up at him in horror.

Eisenhower threw Ian back to the ground, and the rest of the Holt family emerged from around the corner. None of them looked pleased, though Madison and Reagan both wore identical sinister smiles. Ian stood, and Natalie felt his muscles tense next to her.

There was no escape.

**Next Chapter: The Holt Hustle  
Again, special thanks to **_LucianWriter77_** for being an incredibly patient and helpful Beta.**


	4. The Holt Hustle

**Special thanks to: **_Kendelle_**, **_music4evah, LucianWriter77, jenn-is-me, EveryOtherUserNameTaken_, _psychoticbookgirl, screamattheskyx3_**, and**_ Klbooks _**for reviewing my last chapter.  
****The lovely **_Music4evah_** for adding my story to her community.  
****The talented **_LucianWriter77_** for being a fabulous Beta Reader again.**

* * *

Chapter 3 – The Holt Hustle

_~ There are some people who have the ability to serve as friends  
and some who will stop at nothing to bring you down.  
__Be able to tell the difference,  
or you will come to your own foolish demises. ~  
-Isabel Kabra in "Preface"_

Eisenhower Holt cornered Ian and Natalie until their backs were up against the building's rear wall. He sneered wickedly, and Ian did his best to put on an emotionless face. He was tense, but he knew that if he were afraid, it could be deadly to show it. The Holts only thrived off of their enemy's fear.

"Give us the information we need, and nobody gets hurt… depending on how fast you talk," Eisenhower added, his eyebrows moving up and down. Mary Todd, Reagan, and Madison blocked off all their other possible exits, and Hamilton quietly closed the door to the music shop. Ian saw Natalie clutch her coat closer to her chest, so the lump of the journal could not be seen. He swallowed before speaking.

"Mr. Holt," he said in a hard voice while trying his best to maintain a polite tone. He was also trying his best to bluff to the best of his ability. "It is distasteful to threaten us. My sister and I would be more obliged to tell you what we have found if you state your request –"

"We didn't come here to listen to fancy talk, Kabra," Eisenhower spat, pushing Ian's shoulder against the brick wall. Ian wrinkled his nose at the thought of Eisenhower's dirty hand on his clean white suit… and the use of his last name. It was one of his greatest pet peeves. He simply ignored the pain in his shoulder from Eisenhower's fingers tightening around his shoulder blade. The Holts were growing impatient. All Ian and Natalie needed was any small movement of the Holt family. All they needed was for one of them to just take one step closer, and they could make a move. Soon, it was given to them.

Mary Todd took a step closer to Natalie to secure her, but Natalie was fast. She pulled her dart gun out of her jacket pocket, and swiftly jumped out of Mary Todd's reach. Natalie held it up at Mary Todd's chest. Mary Todd quickly put her hands up in surprise.

"Freeze," Natalie said coolly, pointing the gun from Holt to Holt. Madison and Reagan seemed to cringe slightly when the muzzle was pointed in their direction, but Hamilton's face remained set in stone. He was not afraid which made Ian the slightest bit anxious. He silently prayed that Eisenhower wouldn't feel his nerves tightening.

"Don't try anything funny," Mary Todd told her sweetly, soon regaining her composure. She put her hands down. "We can do this the easy way… or _the hard way_." The Holt family all cracked their oversized muscles and growled through their clenched teeth.

"Whatever happened to stalking the Cahills?" Natalie asked Eisenhower, distracting him for a moment. Eisenhower released his grip on Ian and took a step toward Natalie. Ian instantly grabbed his shoulder, knowing there would be a huge bruise there soon. He looked back up at Natalie who was still bravely holding her dart gun at Eisenhower. He towered over her and looked at least three times her size. Ian thought fast and grabbed his black phone out of the back pocket of his suit.

"We lost them a while back," Eisenhower was saying. "You were the nearest… and easiest target. Now hand over the information before I get mad –"

"Security," Ian spoke quietly into the phone. "We are behind the old music store in the boardwalk, hurry!" While Natalie had been too busy looking at cheap shoes, he had made sure two of their body guards stayed behind, just in case they ran into trouble. She hadn't even noticed, and Ian was thankful that he had thought ahead.

Unfortunately, he had not spoken quietly enough. Eisenhower's eyes flashed in astonishment, but he didn't move. Instead, Hamilton charged Ian head on, but Natalie ran and jumped on top of him. Hamilton didn't even seem to notice; she was like someone jumping on top of a charging elephant. Ian had no idea what had come over her. It would have been easier to just shoot the dart gun. Quickly, he slammed his phone shut just as Hamilton punched him hard in the stomach. The phone went flying. Reagan and Madison grabbed Natalie who began shooting her dart gun furiously in every direction.

"Aah!" Madison yelled. Ian assumed Natalie's dart gun had made a hit. He was struggling to stand. In a swift moment he dodged another blow from Hamilton as Mary Todd ran after Natalie. Snapping out of his daze, Eisenhower turned his fury on Ian.

Before things could get too messy, the Kabras' body guards showed up promptly, as usual, and went for the Holt parents. Hamilton - furious at this point - was constantly at Ian's throat, trying with all his might to throw a punch in. Ian was just running, dodging, and shoving when necessary, but every now and then, Hamilton would get lucky and slow him down.

"You're going down, Kabra!" Hamilton yelled, loud enough for his father to hear.

"Get him, Hammer! Show him what you got!" Mary Todd's voice returned. If the situation wasn't so treacherous, he might have laughed at Hamilton's ridiculous nickname. His body guard came to the rescue. The tall and muscular man became engaged in a full-on fist fight with Hamilton. Ian gripped the top of his legs and leaned his weight onto his shins, gasping.

Quickly, he caught his breath. He hadn't realized how truly tired he was until Hamilton had been taken off his back. He grunted, feeling stiff all over. His fancy white suit was covered in a light layer of brown dust, and his hair was very tousled and didn't look the least bit tidy. He groaned and gritted his teeth to try and numb himself against the pain. _Kabras never lose. Kabras never lose._ Repeating the words over and over in his mind, for some reason, gave him a small boost of confidence.

"Aah!" he heard someone scream. Ian immediately recognized Natalie's high-pitched voice.

_Natalie!_ He had completely forgotten about her! He had been so worried about his own safety and physical condition that he hadn't even remembered that Natalie had been with him.

"Natalie!" he tried to yell, but it came out more as a pathetic croak. Ian hobbled over towards the fight, feeling extremely exhausted and weak. Hamilton's blows were bound to leave a few bruises… covering his arms, legs, and maybe even giving him a black eye. He began to worry if the Holts had found the journal.

Suddenly, someone jumped down from the top of the building in front of him. Ian staggered backwards and fell at the sudden movement. Another person leaped from the roof, joining the first. They were both wearing thin black jeans and grey hoodies.

"What the –" Ian began, but he was so startled that he couldn't speak for a moment. In response to his voice, the pair quickly turned around to face him. Their slick appearance was enough to stop anyone in their tracks… except maybe his parents. His parents were never distracted by anything.

It was simply a girl and a boy. They were both wearing dark, tinted sunglasses and were fifteen years old at the least. The boy was tall and lean. He had a solid face and the body of a soccer player. He had windswept bleach blonde hair that was surfer styled. Unlike Ian, his hair looked purposely tousled. The girl had matching bottle blonde hair, but she had blazing red highlights that made her hair appear to be sun-kissed. It was smartly cut just below her shoulders. She was also lean and slender with a hard gaze.

"Do not talk," she said simply, her voice slightly high-pitched, but full of authority. She had a Russian accent, though it was not as heavy as Irina Spasky's. Ian quickly snapped out of his mystery. _How dare a _peasant_ order him._

"Excuse me, do you know who I am?" he asked, beginning to stand up. "How dare you speak to me that way–"

"Of course we know who you are," the male said in a slight Russian accent, and Ian could swear he saw him roll his eyes behind the dark sunglasses. The girl scowled at her partner, and then they both looked disapprovingly down at Ian. Instantly, he felt embarrassed of his rugged appearance. The boy smirked at Ian's facial expression.

"Lucian scum," the girl spat. Ian began to stand. He was _not_ about to take that offensive blow sitting down. Before he could fully stand, the boy pulled out what looked like a large black golf ball. He threw it to the ground, and smoke billowed out in every direction. A smoke bomb, Ian realized. He coughed loudly and wheezed as he fell back on the ground. Ian squeezed his eyes shut, then snapped them back open. Loose, light grey smoke surrounded him in the open space. Hearing all the Holts scream, Ian whipped around to where the boy and girl were standing.

"Hey, who do you think you…" Ian began angrily.

His voice trailed off as he took a double take, and then spun around trying to find them.

"…are." He completed his thought. "Natalie!" he yelled instinctively. "Natalie!" he tried again, but his voice was lost in the midst of the Holts' military-loud yells.

"Don't let them get away!" he heard Eisenhower yell at the top of his lungs. "Just throw a punch at whoever –"

_Thump! _Ian winced at the loud blow and prayed it wasn't Natalie who had been hit.

"Ow! Hamilton!" he heard one of the twins yell in response. He sighed with relief. "Now I am going to have a black eye! Thanks a lot!"

"Sorry, Madison!" came an equally loud reply.

"I'M REAGAN!" the high-pitched voice screamed.

"Ian!" he heard Natalie yell suddenly.

"Nat –" he began. Suddenly, he felt someone grab the back of his collar and start to drag him from behind. Yelling defensively the whole way through, he kicked and desperately tried to free himself.

"Get your dirty hands off me!" He could only imagine what Eisenhower would do to him if he got him all the way out of the smoke. The gravel against Ian's backside tore at his suit and his legs were kicking against Eisenhower's shins in a frantic attempt to stop him.

"Why are you so heavy?" he heard a female voice complained in a slight Russian accent. Ian stopped kicking and yelling, knowing the voice did not belong to any of the Holts… or his body guards for that matter.

Forcefully, he was thrown out of the smoke into the clear air. He gasped and inhaled deeply. After he caught he breath, he spun around, but no one was there. Suddenly, he heard Natalie scream. Ian quickly whipped around to see her being thrown out of the dust cloud as well. He tried to scramble out of her way, but he was too slow. She thudded on top of him.

"_Oof!_" Ian let out a moan as Natalie head slammed into his stomach exactly where Hamilton had punched him earlier. He grabbed at his stomach as a surge of pain spread throughout his entire body.

"Man up," Natalie complained, obviously worn out from running away from the Holts. In response, Ian pushed her off of him and clutched his stomach. He wasn't sure if he was bleeding or if it was just a massive bruise, but either way, he sure didn't want to stick around to gain another. Ian also did not want to look at his reflection; it was horrid, he was sure of it. Natalie for one didn't look like her usual graceful self. Her ponytail had come undone and her hair was like a rat's nest, even worse than in Korea. Ian held back a laugh, seeing his sister's rough appearance.

"Is the journal safe?" he whispered to her quickly. Natalie patted her jacket and nodded.

"Ian, call the chauffer. Let's get out of here," she moaned, in a tone that sounded a lot like a toddler who had just fallen and scraped their knee.

"Did you not see the phone fly out of my hand when Hamilton punched me?" Ian snapped. Natalie's dark eyes flashed.

"Ian!" she whined. "That is our only way out of this! Without it, we have no way of getting back to the hotel! Get down on your hands and knees and find it!" Ian was insulted by her command. He had been ordered around too many times today, and he was not about to take orders from his younger sister, no matter how vital the request.

"I am not a peasant! You do it," he snapped in response. For a while, they were too busy arguing with each other to notice the fog clearing behind them. "You know perfectly well that…" he stopped mid-sentence. "Natalie," Ian said quietly. His eyes grew wide as he looked at the area where the Holts were once wrestling their body guards.

"What?" Natalie snapped bitterly, her back to the thinning fog. Ian watched as she followed his gaze to the lot behind her. Slowly, she uncrossed her arms and her jaw dropped. Ian couldn't gather words to explain his shock. He was expecting to view the Holts all strangling each other, his bodyguards wrestling them, and hopefully, his phone lying somewhere away from the ruckus. He saw not one of those events. Everything was silent before him. There was no sign of a struggle or even a sign of existence.

Everyone was gone.

* * *

**Again, special thanks to **_LW77_** for everything you've done to help this story.  
Next Chapter: Deception**


	5. Deception

**All my files were deleted. I had finished two chapters further into the story, and now they're gone. So, I apolgize for the wait. And **_**since**_** I take forever to update, I put in a segment that says where Ian and Natalie were last and explains what happened before the chapter. It's before the name of the chapter.**

**-Special thanks to:**_ Jamie's Dream, music4evah, PurpleTea88, Another Artist, Klbooks, screamattheskyx3, The Irish Nymph, Joelle8, Kendelle Nicole, FallenMidnightAngel, _**and**_ Syberian Quest_**. Virtual hugs for my reviewers!  
**_psychoticbookgirl, _**my Beta for this chapter and my comic relief specialist. Thank you so much for your help.  
**_LucianWriter77_**,**** a very good friend who's left . You'll be missed, **_LW77._** Thank you for everything you've done for this story. This chapter is for you.**

* * *

_Subjects: Ian and Natalie Kabra  
Last seen: Behind a music shop on the boardwalk in Kyrgyzstan  
Last seen with: The Holt family, their own body guards, and two unnamed Russian teens  
Details: Lucians Ian and Natalie were last left abandoned behind the music shop. Their attackers, their own body guards, and Ian's phone for that matter, had all disappeared._

**Chapter 4 – Deception**

_Nothing is so boring as having to keep up a deception.  
~Edward V. Lucas_

Sabotage.

Ian stood silent in shock, but Natalie had plenty to say about the matter.

"The Holts are barbaric lunatics!" she yelled, hoping that wherever they were, they could hear her insults. There was no response, so she continued, "Just wait until mother hears about this!" She blinked in sudden realization, and then slowly turned her rage onto her brother. "We could have called her up, couldn't we, Ian? But NO! You had to drop the phone, didn't you? Your stupid slippery hands. Why can't you be normal? Normal boys don't moisturize!"

"It's not my fault, Natalie!" he replied, almost equally angry. Though there was a slight quaver in his voice that made it clear he was trying to maintain a diplomatic tone. "Hamilton punched me, and I lost my grip." Natalie simply rolled her eyes at her brother's arrogance.

"You're the one who let go," she snapped. "You can't blame Hamilton for that."

"You're the one who jumped on top of him when he charged," he countered coolly.

"Do _not_ dare blame me for this, Ian," she argued, sounding a lot like Isabel. "Where could it have gone anyway?" Natalie watched her brother scour his mind for an idea. He stared at the dusty ground as he paced back and forth.

"Let's check the crates," he said finally. "And the garbage can, anywhere that someone could have tossed it in a hurry." They searched everywhere, and Natalie moaned that her expensive white dress was getting even dirtier than before the fight. Ian emptied every crate, and Natalie dumped out the garbage cans but to no avail. His phone was nowhere to be found.

"Why did you even call security in the first place?" she continued shortly. "We could have handled the Holts ourselves. Those dimwits wouldn't have been able to avoid my dart gun anyway."

"And that's the reason why you tackled him instead of shooting it. Isn't it, Natalie?" Ian commented sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Her dark eyes flashed, and her face turned beet red. If she were a cartoon, smoke would've billowed out of her ears.

"At least I didn't lose my dart gun!" she yelled in fury.

"Calm down, you're not making this easy. We're a team, remember? We are supposed to work together." His reasoning didn't seem to have any effect on her, so he continued, a little more straight-forward. "What would you do without me? You would be at the mercy of peasants, really!" he sniffed, his British accent standing out more than usual.

She froze. That had gotten her attention.

"Well, then what's your grand idea?" she asked impatiently, tired of their chit-chat. Ian's eyes remained locked onto hers, and she blinked twice.

"First, we have to find my phone. Then we can go back and examine Lake Tash more closely…" His voice trailed off as he rethought his reasoning. "Actually, first, let's go back to where the limo dropped us off." She followed him away from the building, back the way they came, and all the way back to the beach without complaint. There were a few people scattered around, but other than that, their limo was nowhere to be found.

"Fabulous. Now what?" Natalie complained, slumping against a column that supported the boardwalk above them. "I'm famished. Let's eat something."

"You shouldn't be complaining," Ian snapped. "You gave all our money to what's-her-face… the music store employee," he recalled, and suddenly a light bulb went off in Natalie's mind. Her lazy expression turned to excitement.

"Let's go to the music store, Ian! I'm sure there's someone there with a phone that we can use!" She looked around uncertainly and raised an eyebrow at people all around them speaking either Russian or Kyrgyz. "Besides, there are people there who speak English."

On their way back from once they came, Natalie made herself a little more presentable by finger-combing her hair and dabbing the dirt off her dress with a moist towelette. She had some pretty pink lip gloss in the side pocket of her jacket, so she delicately applied it and then checked to make sure the notebook was tucked away safely.

She did her best to comb Ian's hair, though it didn't help that he was almost two heads taller than her. She wiped his suit down the best she could, though he wouldn't remain still, because he was embarrassed of being seen by someone he knew.

"Oh, shut up," she had told him snidely, as she patted his collar. "We're in _Kyrgyzstan_. It's not like Amy Cahill is going to see you." In response, he had snatched the towelette out of her hand and threw it off the boardwalk. Ian was always touchy on the subject of Amy Cahill, and Natalie always rolled her eyes whenever she thought about it. Amy was a mere peasant and not worth his time. He had loads of other girls that would love to be with him, so why her?

They approached the music store, and for some reason, it stood out from the other shops even more than when they had first arrived. The flashing neon colors danced around the signs, lining the windows, and Natalie felt much more at home. She wasn't used to the country. She actually found it very dull.

"Ask around for your phone," she told Ian. "Look around the shelves or even crevices. This place gives me weird vibes."

"Nice pun," he remarked, looking up at the electric guitar above his head.

She smirked and was about to push the door open when Ian grabbed her wrist.

"Wait, there's one more thing," he said, and she gave him her full attention. "There were these two people. They leaped down from the roof after our body guards arrived. They were both blonde, one was a girl, and one was a boy. They looked about my age, maybe a little older. The boy was the one who threw down the smoke bomb."

"Gotcha," Natalie replied. "Keep an eye out for blonde teenagers…" As Ian continued describing them, she grew impatient. His words began to slur together as her thoughts wandered.

"They had Russian accents too. The accents weren't very heavy, but still distinguishable. The girl had red highlights, and her hair wasn't very long. I'm almost positive that they work at the store, but keep your eye on the customers too. Oh yeah, they were wearing grey jeans and black hooded sweatshirts. I'm almost positive they know about the Hunt, because the girl said –"

Finally, she had had enough of listening.

"Enough Ian. We're just trying to find your phone," she said. "You sound like mother when she's describing someone she wants killed," she added, pushing open the door. A small bell jingled as the glass door swung to the side, and Ian and Natalie entered casually. Well, about as casually as the Kabras could enter a music shop without people noticing them. A few heads turned, but they quickly went back to what they were doing when Natalie and Ian ducked into an aisle.

"You search over there," Ian directed sharply, gesturing to the right side of the store. "I'll go this way." He headed toward the left of the store.

"Aye aye, captain," she muttered, lazily sauntering off towards the side Ian had told her to search. The long aisles were lined with rows and rows of CDs of all different cultures. She peered in between spaces, just in case someone had slipped Ian's phone in there. Walking through aisles looking for a slim black phone wedged between CDs proved to be a very boring job. At the end of the aisle was a clump of random instruments, including electric keyboards and guitars that were as bright as the signs around.

Suddenly, Natalie heard some girls giggling in the corner of the store. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and then slowly made her over to the corner. As she got closer, the giggling grew louder, and she heard faint music being played on a guitar. Not wanting to barge in unwanted, she bent down and pretended to search for a CD, but she peered through the shelves to see what was going on.

Someone was singing and playing an acoustic guitar. His voice was light and slightly raspy. The song was a happy, perky tune that made you want to hug something. In other words, the song sickened Natalie and made her want to punch something.

A bunch of girls were clumped together around singer, all giggling like maniacs, so she couldn't see anything.

When he sang the final word of the song, the performer stood up and bowed for the girls. They all squealed in delight, and Natalie finally got a good look at him. He was slightly taller than Ian with tousled blonde hair that was just begging for someone to run their fingers through it. His light tan stood out against his dazzling movie star smile that made Natalie's jaw drop slightly. No wonder all those girls were drooling at his feet.

"You are so amazing!" one girl with a light brown ponytail squealed with a heavy Russian accent. Her high-pitched tone of her voice made Natalie roll her eyes.

"Sing another!" gushed another, again, with a heavy Russian accent. Putting his guitar down, he gave her a grin and she fell back starry-eyed.

"Sorry, I can't," he sighed, his accent was also Russian, but not as heavy as the other girls. It sounded as if he spoke English more often. "I have to get back to work. Otherwise my sister will kill me." The one with the light brown ponytail rolled her eyes, obviously understanding more English than the other girls who all looked confused.

"You're too talented and charming to be killed, Jack," she drawled, grabbing his hand. Natalie wanted to puke.

"Yes, that is true, Natasha." Jack sighed as if his gifts were burdens. "But you haven't seen Janice when she's angry."

"She's angry all of the time."

"I'll be back tomorrow. No worries," he assured all of them, changing the subject. Natasha let go of his hand. They all waved as they scattered across the shop, and Natalie noticed that Dilara was with them. This made her roll her eyes for about the hundredth time since she stepped into the store.

Jack watched the girls leave and propped his guitar onto one of the shelves that lined the wall. He stretched again, pinned a nametag onto his shirt, and then began to make his way towards the register. Taking another look at him, Natalie made up her mind that this had been one of the people Ian had described to her outside. A plan quickly formulated in her mind, and she emerged from behind the bookcase.

"Hey!" Natalie called after him. Swiftly, he spun around as she approached him. He was wearing a dark blue shirt and black pants, the uniform for the employees of the shop. His calming aura made her lose her composure for a moment, but she regained it just as quickly.

"I'm looking for a phone. Black, shiny, about so-size." She held up her hands as if holding an imaginary jelly jar. Jack looked back at her puzzled. "What? You don't speak English?" she asked, even though she knew he did. Her crisp British accent seemed to bring him back to reality, making him blink.

"No, no, I do," he replied, swiping a strand of thick blonde hair away from his eye. He straightened. Natalie watched as he put on the best smile she'd seen yet, but she refused to swoon like all those other girls had. He stuck out his hand as he introduced himself.

"Jackson Viner at your service, miss," he said cheerfully. Natalie felt herself give a satisfied smile at being talked too in this manner. But even with Jackson's grinning face staring at her expectantly, she just couldn't bring herself to shake a peasant's hand.

"My name is Natalie Kabra," she said in a posh tone, gently pushing his hand down. "Pleasure."

"Now, what is it that you are looking for again, Ms. Kabra?"

"My brother's phone," she replied simply. "Have you seen it?"

"Well," Jack began, grabbing a few CDs off a shelf. "There is a lost-and-found box at the register." This wasn't the answer she was expecting, and he was implying that she should go check herself. She had expected him to stumble over the answer and maybe give her a lead to where he had put it. Either he was a good actor, a good strategist, or wasn't the guy she was looking for.

"Be a dear, and go check for me, will you?"

"Uh… sure," he replied, which obviously wasn't the answer he was expecting either.

"Do hurry up, yes?" She could swear she saw him smirk as he left for the register, and she sighed, smiling a little herself. Now all she needed to do was find–

"Natalie," someone said behind her.

"Ian!" she exclaimed, spinning around. "Did you find your phone?" He shook his head ruefully. She quickly explained how she had sent Jack to go search the lost-and-found. She also told him about how she suspected he was one of the people who dropped the smoke bomb. When Ian asked where he was, she gave a slight nod in Jack's direction. Ian's eyes widened and his eyebrow twitched, confirming her suspicion.

"What are we going to do?" she asked nervously, trying to keep her voice steady. Honestly, she had hoped that she would be able to just leave him to play and sing for those lovesick girls like Natasha and Dilara in his fantasy world.

"What we do best," Ian muttered simply. "Lie."

"Well, Miss Kabra," Natalie heard Jack say behind her, and she spun around quickly. "Your brother's phone is nowhere –" he began, then caught sight of Ian. "To be found," he completed. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked, ignoring Ian's presence completely.

"No, that's –" Natalie began, but Ian stepped in front of her and grabbed Jack's collar angrily. Apparently his fury couldn't be contained anymore.

"What did you do with my phone, filthy peasant? I know that was you outside," he spat. "Where is it?" he demanded. His words were barely understandable as they slipped between his gritted teeth.

"So much for lying." Natalie rolled her eyes as Jack desperately clutched at where Ian held his shirt. "Let him go, Ian." Ian let Jack fall back. Jack stood up quickly and brushed himself off as if nothing had happened. And without saying another word, he headed back over to his corner and began plucking chords on his guitar again.

"Hey, get back here," Ian demanded. Natalie followed Ian over to the corner.

"What are you hiding?" Ian asked impatiently.

"What did you do with my brother's phone?" Natalie demanded. Jack only shrugged like he was bored and ignored him. Natalie could tell Ian was getting frustrated, not having their body guards behind him making Jack talk. Finally, he just grabbed the handle of the guitar and tried to yank it away. Just as Jack stood to yank it back, someone came racing over to them.

"Jack!" a girl came bolting over to the corner. She was also wearing the store's uniform. Her thick blonde hair containing deep red streaks bounced behind her as she ran. "Izvini," she said as she butted past Ian and Natalie.

"Jack!" she continued. "Chem ty seychas zanimaeshsya? _[What are you doing?]_" her tone was urgent and demanding. She was speaking so fast that Jack gave her a double take as if he didn't understand what she was saying.

"U menya vsyo po prezhnemu, Janice _[I have nothing to tell you, Janice]_," he whined back, obviously overlooking her urgency. "Ostavnte menja v pokoe _[Leave me alone]_."

They argued back and forth for a while, but none of their dialogue was comprehensible. Natalie was ready to interrupt when suddenly they spoke a word that she actually understood. It was as clear as a bell.

"Peredavay privet _the Janus Branch __[Give my regards to the Janus Branch]_," the girl snapped sarcastically. Her Russian accent turned back to English as she spoke the last two words. Natalie saw Ian's ears perk up too.

Janice caught sight of Ian, and her eyes filled with hate. Ian's eyes also narrowed, and Natalie knew there was recognition in his gaze.

"Found the other one," Natalie chirped optimistically as Janice took a step back. Ian released his grip on the guitar and maintained his staring contest with her.

"Lucian scum, huh?" he said, flashing a wicked scowl.

Janice blinked, and Natalie spotted the edge of a gleaming black cell phone that was sticking out of her pocket. Ian followed her gaze, spotted his phone, and all hell broke loose.

Before he could even lunge for the phone, as fast as lighting, Jack pushed Ian out of the way and bolted out of the shop with Janice following close behind. When she got to the door, she spun around and shot them a look that seriously reminded Natalie of Irina whenever she got to use her poisoned nails.

"Catcha later, Kabras." She grinned wickedly, her slight accent matched Jack's perfectly. Ian stared at her in slight disbelief, not moving.

"Hello!" Natalie said in a sing-song voice, waving her hand in front of Ian's face. He blinked and she continued, "so do we chase after them or not?"

"Let's go! She has my phone!" Ian exclaimed, snapping out of his daze. He grabbed Natalie's hand and dragged her out of the store.

"Ah! Ian, these shoes aren't made for running!" Natalie complained, bouncing in her heeled sandals that were clanking hard on the wooden planks below her.

Ian didn't listen to her though; his phone was of vital importance and Natalie knew that. But her shoes were of vital importance to her, and this rushed running was uncivilized. She ushered several more complaints as Ian pulled her along the boardwalk.

"Faster, Natalie! They're getting away!" he panted, not used to running so far.

"The boardwalk stops soon," she returned. "They'll have to stop then."

But they didn't. Jack and Janice leapt off the edge of the boardwalk and onto the edge of the beach in a swift motion.

"Where are they going?" Natalie wondered aloud.

"Obviously away from us," Ian replied. "Do you still have the notebook?" he asked, and she nodded, taking it out of her jacket pocket.

"Would I ever lose something like this?" she asked, waving it around, and then stuck it back in her jacket. Her heels clacked on the wood in a rhythmic fashion.

"Good. Hold onto it," Ian told her as they approached the edge of the boardwalk. "Jump!" he yelled, and Natalie grasped his hand tightly as they flung themselves off the boardwalk and onto the beach. Ian landed flat on his feet, but Natalie slid on the shifty sand. Her brother's firm grip kept her standing.

"Boo," a voice said behind them, and Natalie let out a small shriek in surprise. They turned and came face to face with Jack and Janice.

"Give me my phone," Ian panted.

"Not until you give me our notebook," Janice returned, wiping some sweat off her forehead, and Natalie knew it was time. She pulled her dart gun and pointed it at Janice.

"Give us the phone first," she said, keeping her voice calm and cool.

"Natalie, no!" she heard Ian yell, and in one swift motion, Janice pulled something from her pocket and held it at her side. It was a bronze knife.

"Janice," Jack growled threateningly. "There's no reason to get violent."

"She's the one who pulled the gun!" Janice complained, losing her frightening composure to argue with Jack. She turned her gaze back to Natalie. "Put down your gun and I'll put down the knife."

"As if," Natalie countered, tightening her grip on the gun's handle. She was prepared to shoot at any moment, and she knew Janice wouldn't hesitate to use the knife. Natalie's chest was rising and falling as she slowly caught her breath.

Jack and Ian, both sensing the tension, jumped in between them.

"Ian, what are you doing?" Natalie hissed. "This isn't like you at all. Did Jack put you up to this?"

"No." Ian shook his head. "But if we want the phone, we're going to have to do this their way. I have a plan, but we need the phone back first." Natalie quietly agreed, and she slipped her gun back into her right pocket. From behind Ian, she saw Janice slip the knife away, but she didn't look any happier than Natalie.

"Let's do this the nice way," Jack said. "What were you doing outside the music shop?"

"I think that _we'll_ be the ones to ask the first question," Natalie said bluntly. Then without waiting for a response, continued. "You obviously already know who we are. Who are you?"

"Well, that's a little unspecific, but I suppose we'll start with square one." Jack cleared his throat. "My name is Jack Viner, and this is my sister Janice."

"Twins?" Ian asked.

"Duh," Jack replied in the same tone.

"How do you know about the Hunt? We didn't see you at Grace Cahill's funeral," Ian commented, and Natalie had no idea how he remembered who was and wasn't at the funeral.

"Our parents were there," Jack said lightly. "But they took the money."

"Why?" Natalie asked when he didn't follow up the fact with an explanation.

"I think that's _our_ business why they did or didn't," Janice growled. Ian shot her an icy glare as of to say: _We'll find out eventually_, and then softened slightly.

"Now, please, hand over my ph –" he began, holding his hand outstretched to her. She swatted it away.

"Not so fast. You asked us questions. It's our turn now," she replied. Natalie was ready to pull the gun, but she remembered what Ian had said and restrained herself. She didn't understand why Ian bothered to listen what these peasants had to say.

"Fine. What do you want to know?" she snapped.

"What are you doing in Kyrgyzstan?" Jack asked patiently.

"The Hunt," Ian responded simply. The tension between them was rising, and Natalie knew they would have to act fast.

"Lake Tash?" Jack asked. Natalie was about to say something, but decided to let Ian handle this.

"How did you know?"

"You aren't the only ones who know about the Clue Hunt, Kabra. The clue's not here. It's in Egypt." Ian gritted his teeth at the news, and also at being referred to by his last name. It had been a pet peeve of his for a long time. Especially when the Cahills called him "Cobra." He was no snake. He wasn't poisonous or slimy - well, he_ hoped _he wasn't slimy... But there was that moisturizer coming back to haunt him again.

"And you would know, how?" he demanded.

"Our parents were previously involved in the Hunt when your mother was. They got hurt and have never fully recovered, but they gathered a few clues. We can assure you that there is nothing here."

"Thanks, now if you excuse us –" Ian turned, but Janice grabbed his shoulder.

"You have something we want," she said.

"You have something we _need_," Ian returned, and they exchanged a hard glare before Ian grabbed for Janice's pocket. She took a swift step back before grabbing Ian's wrist hard.

"Give me the notebook. You have no idea how much that means to my family," she said through clenched teeth, a thread of what sounded like begging in her voice.

"Tell me what's in there first." Ian tried to pry her hand off, but her knuckle whitened as she tightened her grip. She then swept her leg under his unstable feet knocking him to the ground.

"Where did you put it?" She gritted her teeth as she patted his pockets hoping to find it. Ian reeled back and kicked her in the shin with all his strength. Her knees gave way and she landed hard on the ground next to him. Ian's phone fell out of her pocket as they rolled furiously in the sand, each trying to hurt each other.

Jack and Natalie saw it happen simultaneously, looked at each other, and then both scrambled for it at the same time. Natalie was faster, but Jack was leaner. She picked it up, only to have Jack grab it seconds later as she tried to get away.

"Don't make me hurt you, Mr. Viner." She smiled sweetly and mimicked the tone he had used with her in the shop.

"You know very well that I can't hit a girl," he replied in the same falsely sweet voice. "What's that you have in your pocket, Ms. Kabra?" he asked, reaching for it with his free hand. Natalie gave a violent yank on the phone, but Jack still held on. Ian and Janice were still struggling on the ground a few feet away from them, so she knew Ian would be of no help. She just hoped he was winning.

Jack flashed another flawless grin. In response, Natalie withdrew the journal from her pocket and slapped Jack hard on the side of his face with it. He stumbled backwards and let go of the phone, obviously in a daze and trying to comprehend what had just happened. Natalie almost laughed as she scooped up both items and ran over to where Ian and Janice were still fighting. Janice had pinned Ian to the ground and was reaching for her knife when Natalie smacked her with the notebook, square in the back of her head.

Janice released a shriek as she fell off of Ian. Natalie quickly pulled him to his feet and held up both the phone and the notebook. Ian gave her a look of full confusion.

"How did you – " he began, but Natalie cut him off.

"Let's get out of here."

* * *

**Thanks again to my Beta, **_psychoticbookgirl_**! Your help is very much appreciated.  
Next Chapter: To Be a Janus**


	6. To Be a Janus

**I like imagining OCs in my mind while I'm reading, so I'll give you some pictures of how I imagine Jack and Janice to look. Don't forget to take out the spaces!  
Jack: **_www . richie4fans . homepage24 . de/bilder/richie10 . jpg  
_**Janice: **_www . ultimatehairextensions . com/clip%20in%20hair%20extensions%20red . jpg_

**Special thanks to my reviewers: **_Sadie Faust Kane, music4evah, PurpleTea88, Another Artist, Alexandera, Klbooks, screamattheskyx3, The Irish Nymph,__Joelle8,__Kendelle Nicole, Cascading Rainbows._** You all are wonderful.**

_Subjects: Ian and Natalie Kabra  
Last seen at: Lake Tash  
Last seen with: Jackson and Janice Viner  
Details: Ian and Natalie Kabra were last seen stealing Ian's cell phone back from Janice Viner and making a run for it. The Viners last seemed to be immobilized, but is that really going to stop them?_

**Chapter 5 – To Be A Janus**

_~The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it~  
-Theodore Roosevelt_

Ian stared at his sister who was obviously enjoying their small moment of triumph.

"For some reason, I thought you would be a little brighter than the Holts," Natalie said disdainfully at Janice who was trying to get back up. "Too bad I was wrong. I was hoping for a challenge," she purred. Janice released a shriek that was somewhere between anger and sheer madness.

"Don't bait her, Natalie," said Ian, taking his phone back from her. "Really, she's not like Jack. Terribly violent," he said, remembering how she had pinned him down, but Natalie didn't listen. Ian could see that her pride was getting the best of her. "Natalie!" he said more sternly, knowing things were about to get ugly if he didn't step in.

When she didn't listen, he grabbed her hand again and took off towards the side of the beach where the limo had first dropped them off.

"Ian!" Natalie protested, but he kept running.

"Look behind you," he replied seeing Jack helping Janice to her feet.

"She's mental," replied Natalie curtly.

"No, just a sore loser," he returned.

"Wait!" Jack yelled from behind them frantically, but Ian and Natalie knew better than to listen. They ran like they never had before. Ian was panting now, and he saw Natalie bite her lip to keep from complaining. It would just slow them down.

Ian opened his phone and called their limo driver.

"Come back to where you dropped us off! And hurry!" he yelled quickly, then shut it and continued running. They had to go around the beach since getting up on the boardwalk was no longer an option. He didn't dare to look back. He was almost afraid that he would see Janice hurling a knife at him with deadly aim. _Why did they need the journal so bad if they were out of the Hunt?_

"Hey, Natalie, let me see that journal." Natalie tossed it to him as they continued to run, though it was more of a fast jog at this point. Ian opened up to a random page and suddenly felt as if his heart had sunk to the pit of his stomach.

It was all in Russian.

"Natalie," he said warily. "We do know someone who can speak Russian, correct?"

"Of course. Irina," she shot back sarcastically, though there was a thread of attempted humor in her response.

"Mother and Father must have hired a translator –" he began.

"You will not understand it, even if you do know someone."

"You again!" screamed Natalie as both of them whipped around.

"How did you –" Ian began, but Jack cut him off again.

"I've been up and down this hill more times than I can count," he told them. "This was nothing." He flashed a grin and studied Ian and Natalie who were both sweaty and panting.

Natalie held up the notebook in preparation to slap him again, but he held his hand up.

"Now let's not get feisty, Miss Kabra. I know we got off to a rough start, but we are willing to make a deal with you." Natalie glanced at Ian for his approval to knock Jack into oblivion, but Ian was curious. He called Natalie off, and Jack smiled.

"Where's your sister?" Ian asked warily.

"Right here," Janice stepped out behind him. Her voice was considerably quieter than it had been a few minutes ago.

"What's your deal?" Natalie asked short temperedly, still holding the notebook in one hand. She reached for her gun with her other hand. However, Janice didn't reply or even reach for her knife.

"We will let you keep the notebook," Jack said.

Natalie swung the notebook hard into the side of Jack's face.

"Lies!" she shrieked defensively.

"Natalie!" Ian scolded. Natalie smirked as he turned his attention back to Jack. "Keep talking," he urged.

"But you won't understand our parent's notes without our help," he continued, rubbing his cheek where Natalie had hit him. "Janice has been trying to decipher its meaning for years now and did manage to understand a great deal. You can keep the notebook and learn all the information it contains in exchange for an alliance."

Natalie began to sputter out complaints, but Ian thought it through.

"You run off with the notebook, and we'll attack you again," Jack continued flatly, an edge to his voice. Ian really wasn't looking for another fight, but if their body guards could just show up in time… However, they were weaponless. And what if the limo chauffer didn't even bring another set? He probably still thought they had the other ones. Ian's brain began to hurt after contemplating all the possibilities.

"Do we have a choice, Natalie?" he asked, and Jack's face broke into a flawless cruel grin. "You smile one more time, I will slug you so hard…" he began, but quickly caught himself before he could make a real threat. They knew nothing about the Viners or how much fighting experience they had. All Ian knew was that they were Janus. But anyone can learn self defense… the options swirled around in his mind like a tornado and only grew with each word spoken.

"Of course we have a choice!" she shrieked, and Ian knew she was at the end of her rope. "I don't want an alliance with_ them_!" She pointed an accusing finger at the Viners who were just standing patiently, waiting for a response.

"We'll ditch them later if we have to… but we can't do it now," Ian mumbled, and Natalie gradually became a little less frantic. Pleased, he turned back to Jack just as their limo rolled up to them. Their chauffer got out to open the door for the Kabras, and Ian peered inside. No bodyguards were in the car.

"Do we have a deal?" Jack asked, knowing they were out of options.

"Fine," Ian replied, and Janice eyed him suspiciously. "But all weapons are being given to our chauffer."

"Whatever you say, Kabra," Janice retorted, handing over the knife to the chauffer. Natalie did the same with her dart gun with much complaint. It _was_ the Kabra's limo after all.

"Get in the car," Ian demanded. Natalie slipped in first, followed by Jack who didn't say a further word.

"Don't think this is over," Janice said to Ian as she piled in after her brother.

"Oh, this is far from over," Ian replied flatly, climbing in after her.

After an eternity of arguing, the Kabras and Viners agreed to drop Jack and Janice off at their apartment to grab a few things. They would meet somewhere the next day to begin deciphering the journal.

They arrived at the apartment around early evening, and Jack welcomed them into the guest room, but Ian declined.

"We're signed into a hotel already," he said.

"Whatever," Janice retorted.

"I need some beauty sleep," Natalie yawned dramatically. "And I'm not sleeping in a peasant house." Janice rolled her eyes as Natalie went off on a tangent about her clothes. Jack and Ian made an unspoken agreement that they would be the ones to negotiate further plans.

"You're welcome to meet us at the hotel lobby," Ian said as politely as he could manage. He didn't want to waste any time, and if the Cahills really were in Egypt, they weren't going to leave anytime soon. He quickly wrote down the name of the hotel on a slip of paper and handed it to Jack. Jack exchanged it for his cell phone number.

"I don't understand why you're so eager to get involved in the Clue Hunt. It's not all that great," Ian snapped. "I thought Januses were supposed to hate Lucians." Jack didn't take the bait.

"We have reasons," he replied. "Our blood may be Janus, but I swear Janice is a Lucian. She has no musical talent whatsoever."

"You're committing treason," Ian threatened, trying to get Jack to back out of the alliance, but he simply rolled his eyes.

"Do you think we care? Besides, it's like a silent rebellion against our own branch. No one ever has to know."

With that final word, they both snatched up their pieces of paper without so much as a simple "good night."

Sure enough, Jack and Janice arrived right on time the next morning at the hotel lobby. Ian and Natalie were waiting for them on the couch with the journal and Ian's laptop in hand. They exchanged a hostile glare before any verbal exchanges were made.

"I believe we should split up," Jack began.

"And find the information faster," Ian completed.

"Done," they said at the same time.

"Natalie and I – " Ian began, but Jack cut him off with a rude laugh.

"I believe we should get to know each other better," he said, flashing one of his signature smiles. "You and Janice can look at the notebook, and your sister and I can look up information on the things you've found." Ian choked back a rude remark.

"Fine," he snapped, giving Natalie the laptop. "Don't let him hack into anything," he whispered.

"Don't let her stab you," she replied quietly, meaning it as a joke.

Too bad Ian didn't take it as one.

"I've figured out the meaning of these notes in the very beginning. These were made while they were living in Russia," Janice explained, pointing to a page full of foreign scribbles.

"What do they say?" Ian asked, growing impatient quickly.

Janice rambled on about the first few clues they had found. All old news to Ian.

"Then, here are the other notes they made earlier in the Hunt," she said, flipping through a few pages. "There's one point in the Clue Hunt where there was a triangle and the letters were rearranged."

"That's exactly what Natalie and I figured out," he said, conveniently leaving out Amy and Dan's assistance.

"They have a couple possible solutions. One unscrambles to letters to form Lake Tash – "

"So Natalie and I were right!"

"Let me finish!" she snapped. Ian glowered. "_And_ another option that spells… this." She pointed to the word, and then she spun around to face him. Her blonde hair almost whipped him in the face.

"Can I see?" Ian asked, hand extended to retrieve the journal.

"You can't read Russian though."

"We're supposed to be working as a team."

_Yeah, I played that card,_ Ian thought.

She reluctantly handed it over.

Ian flipped through until he saw the words "Lake Tash" scrawled on a page. Several other combinations of the letters were crossed out.

"What's this mean?" he asked, pointing to one of the circled combinations.

"I don't know," she admitted.

"Let's look it up then," he said, turning to Jack and Natalie. "Can I borrow that?" he asked. Jack shrugged and handed it over.

The screen had a picture of a girl in a bikini on it. Ian turned to Natalie, demanding an explanation. She held her hands up in defense.

"I just wanted to see the bathing suit," she said. Ian looked at Jack who just smirked. Janice rolled her eyes.

"What are you looking up?" Jack asked. "I hope you've been more productive than Natalie and I have been."

"I think that the _Holts_ could have been more productive than you and Natalie had been," Ian said silkily. Jack just laughed.

Ian and Janice ended up working together productively in the end. They worked to find more information on the one unscrambled word on the laptop, almost reading each others thoughts as they continued their research together.

"I think there's a clue in Russian," Ian said after a few minutes of looking at historical websites.

"Why would you think that?" Janice glanced at his notes, and her eyes suddenly lit up and she followed his logic. "Did you study the notes on page twenty one and realize that the underlined letters spelled out the names of Russian cities?"

"No," Ian said. "All the writing in here is Russian."

"My parents were Russian, stupid," she said. Ian chuckled.

"Your brother was right when he said you should be a Lucian. I don't even know how you can have Janus blood in you."

"Well, I think the clue you're looking for is in Egypt," Janice said, avoiding a conversation she didn't want to have. "See, on page fifteen underneath the drawing of –"

"I'll take your word for it." Ian paused and flipped through the journal a little. "And these do look like hieroglyphs. Once we get there, Natalie and I can hack into a couple systems and find out where our opponents are staying." Natalie nodded in agreement.

Janice crossed her long legs and glanced at him inquisitively.

"Who are we looking for exactly? Those body builders that attacked you?"

"Sure," Ian lied.

"That doesn't matter," Natalie said quickly. "Let's get going now."

As they made arrangements for Egypt, Ian had to admit to himself that he was beginning a formation of a plan. Having the Viners, who were unknown candidates in the Clue Hunt to everyone but the Kabras, was a huge advantage. He just had to find out how to make it work.

**Next Chapter: Tomas Trouble**


	7. Tomas Trouble

**This is a brief chapter just to show everyone what the Holts are doing, so it is not very long. Enjoy!  
Special thanks to: **_Syberian Quest, Klbooks, Lapulta, Lieutenant Evergreen, Alexandera, Joelle8, screamattheskyx3 _**for reviewing. ****I love you! You're the best readers I could ever ask for!**

* * *

_Subjects: The Holt Family  
Last seen at: The music store, on the boardwalk along Lake Tash  
Last seen with: Ian and Natalie Kabra, Jackson and Janice Viner  
Details: Last we saw the Holts, they were trying to weasel information out of Ian and Natalie, when a ruckus began. After a smoke bomb was dropped, they were nowhere to be found._

**Chapter 6 – Tomas Trouble**

_Beep… beep… beep… _

"Are they alive?" Hamilton heard a soft female voice ask.

"Their hearts are still beating. They're just unconscious. Wait here until they wake up."

The door gently closed as someone exited, and Hamilton blinked his eyes open slowly. He was lying flat on his back in a white cot, and his whole body was covered by a white sheet, except for his head. Turning to his left, he saw Madison and Reagan, and to the right were his mother and father.

"You are going down, Kabra!" he heard his father yell at the top of his lungs.

Hamilton bolted upright in alarm as Eisenhower jumped out of the hospital bed. His hands were raised, ready to karate chop someone in half. Reagan, Madison, and Mary Todd awoke at once, screaming, and Hamilton's eyes widened. His father looked around to see that his whole family wearing light purple hospital gowns.

"Where are my clothes?" Eisenhower yelled to no one in particular. His bloodshot eyes scanned the room for anything suspicious. He spotted the young nurse in the corner with her clipboard held protectively in front of her face, and he grabbed her by the collar.

"Where are my clothes?" he demanded again, startling the nurse so much that she flung her clipboard into the air and papers flew every which way.

She shook with fear as she spoke. "S- Sir, calm d-down. Y-Your jumpsuits are in the o-other room in the c-c-closet," she stammered. "Don't hurt me!" she cried. Eisenhower simply let go of the nurse's jacket, and she squeaked as she fell to the floor.

"Holts, fall in!" he yelled in an earth-shattering boom.

Hamilton and the rest of his family leapt from their beds and each gave a small professional salute. The nurse stared at the family in horror and ran from the room. Hamilton gave a small smirk. That was just the kind of reaction his aggressive family had grown to love.

His mother stretched and her back cracked. Everyone put their arms back down to their sides and began to relax.

"Hon," she addressed her husband. "Can we _please_ not leave right away?" she asked sweetly, glancing at her ankle. "I think I twisted my ankle." Hamilton looked at Reagan and Madison. Neither of them looked ready to run into another fight either. Madison still had the black eye that Hamilton had given her by accident. Hamilton had a bruise on the side of his right arm, but it wasn't too bad. He was just tired.

"Negative!" his father roared defiantly. His family groaned.

"So what do we do now?" Madison whined.

"Operation: Steal our Clothes Back!" Eisenhower answered. Hamilton stifled a laugh. His father's missions were so ridiculous sometimes.

"Or we could just tell the nurses to get them for us," Madison yawned, an edge in her voice.

"You stay here," Eisenhower told his family. "I'll go scout ahead and call you if reinforcement is needed. Who knows, the Kabras could be right outside that door." He left the room as silently as a ninja. Hamilton and the rest of his family relaxed a bit. He sat back down on his bed and cracked his knuckles as Madison and Reagan both collapsed onto the sheets. His mother didn't look too ready for action either. Even Holts had to rest sometimes.

At once, a loud crash sounded from outside the hall. Mary Todd and Hamilton's eyes became alert, and Madison and Reagan sat up straight. Another crash came, followed by a female scream and glass shattering. All four of them ran out of the room at once.

The hallway was empty.

Hamilton's eyes skid from side to side, taking in the scene. It appeared as if nothing had happened. The four Holts stood in a diamond formation, ready to spring on anything that dared to threaten them.

Suddenly a large man leaped out of nowhere and tackled Hamilton.

"Dad?" Hamilton sputtered from underneath his dad's rock hard abs.

"Oh." Eisenhower climbed off his son, and Hamilton saw he was carrying black shirts, track jackets, and athletic pants.

"Honey, what are these?" Mary Todd asked skeptically, taking one from him.

"I couldn't find ours, so these will have to do," Eisenhower explained. "And it really doesn't matter what we wear, since we can do our job in any clothing. We're still the best team in this Hunt."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Madison and Reagan looked ecstatic to be getting new track jackets and pants. The ones Eisenhower had stolen were much more professional looking than their old purple ones.

As Hamilton slipped his jacket on, he gave a slight smirk, feeling pumped. He was ready to delve back into the action. Even though his body screamed complaints about being too tired, his heart was thumping in anticipation. He felt an adrenaline rush.

The Holts were back in the game.

* * *

**Next Chapter: How to Double Cross**


	8. How to Double Cross

**This is where everything starts tying with the story **_The Black Circle_**. I'm sure most of you will recognize most of the dialogue, which was taken from the book.  
Special thanks to: **_Alex Almighty, Joelle8, Syberian Quest, Evanescence456, screamattheskyx3, Klbooks, Jenelle14._

* * *

_Subjects: Ian and Natalie Kabra  
Last seen at: Kyrgyzstan hotel  
Last seen with: Jackson and Janice Viner  
Details: Last the Kabras were seen, they were hatching a plan to trap siblings Amy and Dan Cahill to get information about the clue in Egypt._

**Chapter 7 - How to Double Cross**

The black stretch limo slowed to a stop, and Amy Cahill's eyes filled with loathing and surprise. Her shock overpowered the hate in her gaze, even though Ian could tell she was struggling hard against it. He emerged from his limo with a huge smirk happily sitting on his face. He had eagerly awaited this reunion for long enough, and he could not wait to begin.

Dan, however, was not pleased and decided enough was enough. Ian knew Dan was tired of him toying with his sister's feelings, even though Ian knew Amy rather enjoyed the attention she never got from anyone else. Thinking about it from her prospect, he felt slightly sympathetic. Wherever _he_ went, girls were always all over him. It just became expected after a while.

"You have got _a lot_ of nerve showing up here after you tried to _kill us_!" Dan yelled furiously. Ian sauntered over to them, not showing any emotion other than pleasure.

"Let's not get carried away," he said to Dan, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He turned to Amy. "Your little brother has a big imagination. You know I would never actually hurt you," he continued, taking a step towards her. Ian could feel the heat of Janice's stare on the back of his neck. He could just see her rolling her eyes at his false charm to poor Amy Cahill. In his mind, he could also hear Jack's laughter echoing in the back seat of his car as they both watched the scene play out.

"Hold it together, Amy," Dan whispered to his sister.

"I'm _fine_," Amy whispered back, her bottom lip quivering. Ian couldn't help give her a crooked smile. Her presence was calming to him. Whenever a girl was nervous around Ian, he couldn't help but play along with the romance they wish they had together. Despite the many times Ian had played this whole act before, he couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic for Amy, and he decided he would be a bit nicer… just a bit.

"Get back in your monstermobile and leave us alone!" yelled Dan, snapping Ian from his thoughts. Ian gave Amy another crooked smile, and then he strolled over to the cab driver, who looked ready to butt into the conversation about getting his pay.

"Well done, my lead-footed friend. We had quite a time keeping up with you." Ian's smile went from warped to wicked. "Although, I suppose it wouldn't have mattered," he added as an afterthought.

Amy's eyes went wide at the final comment. Her brother wasn't so good at putting the pieces together as quickly though. Even so, Amy's mouth remained shut, probably because she was afraid that if she started talking, it would all come out in broken stutters.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dan asked, eyeing the airport's doors. Ian offered a large roll of rubber-banded bills to the driver. He knew that Natalie would be ready to come out any moment, right on cue, especially since Amy and Dan were probably going to make a run for it pretty soon.

"You children play expensive games!" the driver said, taking the roll and handing Ian the slick GPS tracker phone in return.

"Espionage must have been so much harder before GPS, don't you think?" Ian asked Amy and Dan, whose expressions were priceless. Dan looked surprised, but was trying his best to hide it with anger. Amy plainly looked scared out of her wits.

Ian glanced at the cab driver from the corner of his eye, and the driver gave him a slight nod that was completely unnoticed by the Cahill children. The GPS phone had been placed in Dan's backpack just as planned.

Right on cue, Natalie stepped from their limo like a professionally trained model, ready to do some serious damage. She strolled over to Dan and wrinkled her nose as she inspected his wardrobe. Dan didn't seem to know what to think.

Ian looked over at the limo, and squinted to see inside the window to look at Jack, who was laughing his head off. Even Janice was holding back a sinister smile. Ian smiled with obvious pleasure, knowing he would have liked some popcorn to go along with the front row seats to this epic stand-off.

"Did you sleep in those pathetic things you call clothes?" sniffed Natalie in her classy British accent, as snobby as ever. She stuck her nose into the air.

That comment had Jack in stitches, Ian was sure of it, especially since Jack fancied Natalie's posh accent for some reason. Maybe Janice had even let out a small laugh. Dan's loose clothes _were_ clearly wrinkled beyond hope of any hot iron's ability to smooth them out.

"Wrinkles are the new thing. Ask Jonah Wizard. He'll tell you," Dan retorted, making Ian and Natalie both roll their eyes at the mention of their other competitor. Jonah was a Janus as well, but he was not nearly as dangerous as some of their other competitors, like the Holts.

"Make this easy on yourself, and tell us why you are here," said Ian shortly, getting tired of endless chatter that was getting them nowhere. He took another step closer and locked his eyes onto Amy's. He could not help but noticing that they were pretty, of course, and he knew that already. But he paid them no more attention, especially since he was trying to squeeze information out of her.

Ian saw the cab driver laugh, just like the Viners probably were doing, as he got into his cab and started up the engine. A dense cloud of black smoke popped out of the car's tailpipe like a canon as he raced away and covered Natalie's crisp, white outfit with a thin layer of dark dust. She screamed in obvious disgust and clutched at her hair protectively. Dan took flight as soon as the diversion hit. Ian glanced over at the car and saw the grins quickly disappear from Jack and Janice's faces, and he sprang into action in order not to lose his prey.

"Come on!" Dan yelled, grabbing Amy's hand and made a dash for the airport's door. Ian lunged at them and seized Amy's other hand. Dan tugged one way, and Ian pulled the other as if they were playing tug-of-war. The pedestrians crowded around the terminal all turned their heads to see what the huge fuss was. Dan and Amy were both pulling in the opposite direction of Ian, but he could not let go. He was just too close to getting the information they needed for the Russian clue.

"Let my sister go!" cried Dan, pulling Amy again. Her head violently tilted towards Dan.

"I think she likes it when I hold her hand," Ian replied sweetly, rubbing his thumb affectionately on Amy's shaking hand. "Don't you, Amy?"

He expected her to blush. He expected her tug away from Dan and gracefully to fall into his arms. But he _didn't_ expect her to reel back and violently kick him in the left shin.

There was a spine-tingling snap, and a surge of pain was released and spread quickly, sending a shocking tingle throughout Ian's entire body.

Ian's confident smile fell from his face and transformed into an ugly frown. His shin was broken in half at the very least. Letting go of Amy's hand, he had to gather all his self control to keep from yelling uncivilized comments as they ran away. Bouncing up and down on his right leg, he bit his lip to keep from howling at the pain. He desperately wanted to yell something, but he could not find his voice.

"Direct hit!" cried Dan, as if he were playing the greatest video game ever invented. Ian was revolted by both his happiness and by the grin that now replaced Amy's anxious expression.

"So long, suckers!" yelled Amy over her shoulder, taking off in a sprint.

"Get them!" Ian cried, hobbling after them. Natalie and their driver took off in their direction. Janice and Jack jumped from the limo, and Ian didn't wait for them to say anything about his failure before giving them orders. There was no way he was about to let Amy and Dan get away. Not when he was so close. He could not push the thought out of his mind, even with Jack shaking his head in frustration and disgust.

"You go around that way!" Ian ordered, pointing to a door on the side of the airport terminal. "We'll have to cut them off!"

"I think she likes it when she holds my hand. Don't you, Amy?" Janice squeaked in a mocking high-pitched voice, batting her eyelashes furiously. Ian scowled but did not say a thing as Jack dragged his sister around to the side door of the terminal, while she screamed various ways the plan could have gone better. Sighing and pushing her insults out of his mind, Ian hobbled after Natalie and their body guard. His shin was screaming in agony.

"Hurry up, Ian!" Natalie called as they pushed through the crowds of travelers. Ian almost tripped over a rolling suitcase. He took out the tracker phone from his pocket and pressed a few buttons, staring furiously at the screen.

"That way!" he limped to the left, where Amy and Dan were almost out of sight among the various travelers running to their flights.

"Where are Jack and Janice?" Natalie asked curiously as they sprinted off towards Amy and Dan.

"Who cares?" Ian grumbled loudly.

They couldn't spot the Cahills in the crowd anymore, but according to the GPS, they weren't that far away.

"They've changed directions!" Ian yelled to his sister and the bodyguard. "Hurry!"

After a few minutes of chasing, the blinking red dot indicating the Cahills had stopped.

"They've stopped! Let's get them!" Natalie told Ian and their bodyguard. Ian looked around frantically, but they were no where to be found.

"I don't see them…" he said, his voice trailing off. Natalie's head was turning in every direction also, but Amy and Dan were to where to be found. Natalie grabbed Ian's other cell phone out of his back pocket and flipped it open.

"Jack, Janice, status report." There was no answer. "Jack! Janice!" she said a little louder. In frustration, she flipped it closed. "Either there's no reception, or they're shutting us out," she told them. "We are going to have to find them on our own."

Ian slowly turned his head.

"We've been had," he said. Natalie whipped around.

"What?"

Ian nodded his head in the direction of a mother pushing a baby stroller. The baby was chewing on GPS phone that was supposed to be in the Dan's backpack. He gritted his teeth and told himself that the cab driver would be dealt with later.

Furiously, he stomped over to the baby stroller and snatched the phone out of the toddler's hands. She started to wail, and the mother whipped around. Ian simply gave her a slight grin and a nod, turning the GPS in his hand. He returned to Natalie and tossed her the gadget. She exchanged it for his cell. He flipped it open and put it to his ear.

"Jack, Janice? Do you know where Amy and Dan are?" he asked. There was no response. "Answer me!" he yelled, causing a few passengers to turn and look at him skeptically.

"Ian, I am sorry, but we have both agreed that your plans… fail." Ian heard Jack say flatly. "Janice and I have decided that we'll find out where they are going and get back to you later."

"What? Where are you?" Ian asked loudly, his eye twitching in fury. First Amy and Dan were gone, and now Jack and Janice had disappeared too.

"We are in pursuit as we speak," came his answer. "Leave us… fifteen minutes, and _do not_ do anything stupid." Ian was taken aback in rage.

"Why would I do anything stupid?" he shouted.

"Goodbye, Ian," Janice said smugly. The dial tone sounded, and Ian knew they hung up. He turned back to Natalie. His hand was actually shaking with anger.

"Those no good, double crossing –" Natalie began, but Ian cut her off.

"They're exactly like us," he stated bluntly. Natalie looked ready to sputter out contradictions, but Ian knew she recognized it as well. He closed the phone and quickly calmed himself. His sister crossed her arms and stared crossly down at the floor.

_Alright Jack, alright Janice, you got us. I'm willing to put a momentary halt in our mission, but this will never happen again,_ Ian told himself. _I'm willing to trust you… just this once._

_

* * *

_

**Next chapter: Shower From Above**


	9. Shower From Above

**Note: This chapter continues to follow **_The Black Circle_**.  
Special thanks to: **_screamattheskyx3, Evanescence456, music4evah, Joelle8, Jenelle14, ToReadandWrite, CheeseFairytaleLife, Jenelle14, _**and**_ SyberianQuest _**for reviewing. :)**

* * *

_Subjects: __Ian and Natalie Kabra  
Last seen at: an Egyptian Airport  
Last seen with: Amy and Dan Cahill, Jack and Janice Viner, and a bodyguard  
Details: Amy and Dan managed to escape them, Jack and Janice left them, and Ian and Natalie don't know where to turn. Jack and Janice asked for fifteen minutes. Will they meet their deadline?_

**Chapter ****8 – Shower from Above**

Twenty minutes passed, and Jack and Janice remained missing. Natalie and Ian had taken their bodyguard out to the limo and driven around the airport to look for any signs of struggle, but there were none. In the meantime, Ian had wrapped his shin in gauze. He had over-exaggerated; it wasn't even broken. There was only a large bruise.

Natalie growled in frustration.

"'Fifteen minutes,' they said. Fifteen minutes!" she complained. Ian rubbed his temples soothingly, and Natalie balled her hands into fists. She stared at his cell phone that was lying in the back seat, willing it to ring. Her eyes were like daggers, and her face grew threatening.

"At least Janice left the journal," Ian said, flipping through it. "But she's right. I can't understand a word." Natalie wasn't even listening.

"Ring, you stupid phone. Do your bloody job and ring!"

The phone rang.

Ian shot up straight, and Natalie grinned triumphantly. He grabbed the phone and violently opened it as he raised it to his ear. Natalie leaned closer so she could hear who was on the other end.

"They're going to Russia! Hurry!" Natalie heard Jack's panicked voice on the other end.

"You have to catch a plane and go! We already have tickets for the next flight, but they're far ahead of us!"

"But we were just there!" Ian complained heatedly. "Fine!" he snapped decisively. "But you're not going to get there fast enough. Natalie and I will use a private jet."

"We'll meet you there," Jack agreed. "Provide a distraction, so we can find out why they need to be there." Ian hung up.

"Give us the fastest jet you got," he told their chauffer. "We need to get to Russia."

Just as the chauffer began to make arrangements, Ian's phone vibrated again.

"Yes?" he asked impatiently. There was a pause on the other end. "Oh, father. My apologies, I just thought you were someone else… yes, of course. Why are you…?" Natalie sat up straight at the word 'father'. "Russia. We are following them now." Another pause. Ian's face quickly became panicked. "Yes, we're departing Egypt as quickly as we can. Of course I understand." Ian blinked twice. A long silence followed.

"And?" Natalie asked.

"He hung up," Ian said, looking at the ground. "We are to meet Irina in Russia. He contacted her, and apparently, we are currently in another alliance." He paused, rethinking their short conversation. "The mere mention of Russia sent him into a panic. And… you know how he is when he gets angry."

Natalie shuddered, but she didn't say another word as they boarded the plane.

* * *

"Can you believe this?" Natalie complained as soon as their plane landed in Russia. "Can you believe this?"

"What can you not believe?" Ian questioned. But Natalie translated it to, "_This is the Clue Hunt, dearest. This happens every day."_

Natalie grumbled to herself as they climbed into their white stretch limo. She didn't even bother listening in when Ian received another frantic call from Jack that revealed the Cahills' location. He also reminded them to create a distraction. She crossed her arms and remained sour the whole ride to The Motherland Calls.

"Turn here," Ian told the driver, and then he turned back to Natalie. "Now, how do we provide a distraction?"

Natalie was about to reply when something large, round, and mushy hit the limo's front window square on. She screamed in surprise as it thwacked against the glass.

"Is that… Is that _meat_?" Ian asked in disbelief. Natalie scampered to the back of the limo, as far away from the meat as possible.

"Apparently, just showing up is enough of a distraction," she said.

She watched as her brother ignored her and swung open the door.

"Are you mental?" she cried, cowering behind the large leather chair. Almost immediately, a huge meat pie slammed into Ian's face. Natalie covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing hysterically. She heard Eisenhower Holt cheering in the background.

"Barbarians!" Ian yelled furiously, wiping meat off his face. Then he turned on Natalie. "Natalie, shoot them!"

"Not on your life!" she yelled back. "I am not moving from this spot!" Ian could ruin his five-thousand-dollar Armani suit on his own accord, but she was not about to risk her beautiful Gucci jacket.

Ian wiped meat off his face, and then he sprang from the car, ready to do some serious damage. Natalie screamed again as a meat pie plopped onto the back windshield. The chauffer was desperately trying to clean it off with the windshield wipers but to no avail. Finally, so much meat had caked onto the front window, he was forced to climb out and use a window scraper. He immediately got pelted with meat himself.

Meat pies were hurled at the car, flying at lightning speed, almost as if they were raining down from the sky. As Natalie cowered behind the chair, she felt as if she were waiting out a hail storm.

Less than five minutes later, Ian returned to the car and slammed the door behind him. An overpowering stench was swept into the car. He was covered head to toe in meat pies. He spun around to face Natalie.

"The Holts are barbarians," he said, wiping off meat stains.

"Watch it," Natalie snapped as a pile of meat plopped near her feet. She turned to look out the window. "Here comes Hamilton!" she cried.

From in between piles of meat on their window, she saw Hamilton Hot running towards his family. Either Reagan or Madison swung the door open for him, and he leapt inside. The door slammed and the white van's engine revved to life.

"Driver, follow that piece of junk," Ian said, pointing to the Holts' white van as it tore out of the lot. The driver scrambled back into the car, and he stepped on the gas.

As Ian dialed Irina's phone number, Natalie sighed loudly. He shot her a glare and then turned back to his phone. He paused as the dial tone rang.

"I don't know how you managed to let everyone into your country, but it's making my father nervous," he said. "And when he's nervous, _I'm_ nervous. My father will have both our heads if we let another team capture one of our clues."

Ian smirked at Irina's response.

"I don't like all this activity so close to some important secrets," he said. "It's your country. Deal with it." Another pause. "You follow Dan and Amy Cahill. I think they're on to something. We'll stay with the Holts."

Ian shut his phone and slumped in his seat. Meat juice sloshed.

"Aw, does someone need a towel?" Natalie cooed, unable to help herself. Ian was almost unrecognizable, covered in all those meat pies. It was almost humorous. He shot her a terrifying glare, but he couldn't scare her while he was covered in meat. She just smirked.

Suddenly, the limo jerked to a stop.

Ian sat up straight and turned to the driver in a fit of rage.

"What is the meaning of this?" he roared. "We are _tailing_ someone right now!"

The limo door swung open. Jack and Janice piled in, holding a piece of paper with information scrawled on the front in messy handwriting. Janice swiped her bangs out of her eyes and then high-fived Jack in triumph. She flashed Ian a smile that was just as flawless as Jack's but was definitely more on the wicked side.

"Miss us?" she asked, handing him a list of Russian cities.

* * *

**Next Chapter: Whispering Secrets**


	10. Whispering Secrets

**Note: Well, here it is. I'm not sure how I'm feeling about this one, so any feedback is much appreciated. Thanks for reading!**

**Special thanks to: **_Evanescence456_**, **_RageRunsStill, music4evah_**, **_Syberian Quest, Cecilia S. Bradley, Cascading Rainbows_**, and**_ Kaye Nightshade _**for reviewing.  
****For: **_Joyce_ **(a.k.a. **_Cascading Rainbows_**), who is truly a phenomenal author and friend.**

* * *

_Subjects: Ian and Natalie Kabra  
Last seen at: The Motherland Calls  
Last seen with: Irina Spasky, Jackson and Janice Viner  
Details: The Kabras succeeded in providing a distraction for the Viners. Just as they are about to begin tailing the Holts, the Viners return with the information that will lead them to a clue. Ian decides it's time to take matters into his own hands.  
_

**Chapter 9 - Whispering Secrets  
**

_The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end...  
There it is__~  
-Winston Churchill  
_

The sunset on Sochi beach had just departed.

Ian was left in a still, cloudless night. To one side of him stood the Caucasus Mountains, and on the other lay the Black Sea. Wedged in between was the famous Sochi resort, _the _best resort in Russia. There was a nice breeze that night, a little too windy for Ian's taste, but still relaxing nonetheless. Ian stood with his back to the resort but his face to the wind and to the tides pulling in. The beach was deserted except for a few lovers out on a stroll. The night was nice and gave Ian some time to clear his mind.

That is, until his phone gave a violent vibration in his pocket, interrupting his thoughts. He glanced at the caller ID as he pulled it out.

_Irina Spasky._

"Finally," snapped Ian into the receiver. He had been expecting her call all day. "Have we got anything to worry about?"

"Yes," said Irina. "Someone helps them. Someone high up in the Lucian branch. It must be." Ian grit his teeth in frustration. This couldn't be happening.

"What makes you think so?" he asked shortly.

"They've just left Alexei's Playroom," Irina responded, and Ian gritted his teeth harder, knowing she had missed her chance. "They must know about the Lucian connection to the Romanovs."

"Make sure they don't find themselves in possession of sensitive material. You know what's at stake," he said quickly and quietly, knowing there were people around who could hear him. "One step closer and you'll have to remove them." He knew that Irina didn't like the idea of getting rid of the Cahills any more than he did, but his parents would not be pleased if they failed again… not to mention if they failed to protect priceless Lucian secrets. It wasn't just about the Cahill children anymore; it was about their honor to their branch.

"I know," Irina said, and then paused when Ian didn't respond, as if mulling something over. "It won't just be me your father punishes." The phone clicked, and their connection was broken, leaving Ian in a painful and utter silence. His jaw was slightly ajar.

The worst part in what Irina had said was that she was right. They couldn't let Amy and Dan get away. They just couldn't.

"Who were you talking to?" He heard a voice behind him. Ian turned to see Janice standing to his left, arms crossed. Her face was curious, which was a change from her usual scowl.

"The person that I made an alliance with when you two ditched us," Ian replied bitterly. He was still angry at Jack and Janice for running off like that.

"I didn't come out here to have you yell at me again…" she said.

"Oh, yeah?" he interrupted loudly. "So, you came out here so _you_ could yell at _me_ again?" he retorted angrily. Tearing his eyes away from hers, Ian felt the breeze ruffle his polo shirt and silently debated whether or not he should go back inside.

"Jack and I decided that we should start being more honest with you and your sister… especially since you're letting us stay with you." She gulped, as if she were struggling to get the words out. "I figured that it would probably mean a lot more if _I_ came out here, swallowed my pride, and told you anything you wanted to know. It would show that we really do…" Janice's voice trailed off as she searched for words, but she didn't come up with anything.

"Anything?" questioned Ian testily.

"Well, as much as we can tell you. We're not about to tell you our branch's secrets or anything. I think you understand. But I will share anything you want to know about us or the things that we have found. I have some things I have to share with you and some questions as well."

It was strange hearing Janice talking so quietly and honestly. Usually, she was either being sarcastic or yelling… most of the time both.

"And you're not going to pull your knife and try and assassinate me?"

"I'm sorry for being so ****** to you," she sighed, joining Ian in gazing at the surf. Her hair whipped around her sharp-featured face, spreading a perfumed scent that reminded Ian of his mother.

"You're not –"

"Shut up. I'm a ***** and you know it." Ian couldn't help but give a small grimace.

"I was going to say, 'you're not used to admitting these things, are you?'" he said. "What did you think I was going to say?"

Janice smirked, and they both stared at the surf.

"Why aren't your parents worried about you?"

"We don't live with them, so they don't know what we're doing."

"Why don't you live with them?" Ian pressed. He knew that this was really crossing the line into personal boundaries, but he didn't care. Janice had crossed the line with him way too many times. And she seemed to be aware of that as she continued.

"We live with our uncle, who's a drunk ass."

"Do you only curse when you're _not_ angry?" Ian asked skeptically, and Janice released what actually sounded like a genuine laugh.

"Maybe that's it. I just don't know anymore. Hey, do you want to sit down?" Seeing no objections besides getting sand on his butt, Ian carefully placed his injured leg down as he sat down next to her. He immediately regretted it. The sand was shifty, and he bemoaned the fact that he had overlooked this objection, but he didn't let Janice see how uncomfortable he was. He was about to get information out of her whether she liked it or not.

"What happened to your parents?" he asked.

"They… they… got hurt. In a fire. It was an explosion that they just barely survived. I don't know too many details." She turned to look at him straight on. "It's my turn to ask you something personal," she said, sounding much like herself again. "Why does your mother kill people without thinking twice?"

"She sees no other options, I guess."

Janice didn't push it much further.

"Fire's always scared the heck out of me ever since," she continued, referring to her parents. "I'll never go near it, always freak out whenever I have to, and sometimes just faint at the sight."

"I'm sorry," Ian said, but there was no genuine sympathy in his voice. It just seemed like the right thing to say, like he was reading lines from a play. Janice snorted at his false sympathy.

"Don't pretend to be sorry for me when you're not, Kabra. It makes me sick."

"Everything makes you sick."

Janice seemed at a loss for words, knowing what Ian had said was true. Ian could see it in her eyes that she was trying hard to come up with a snappy response, and he let her. But she said nothing.

"I don't need anyone's sympathy," she said.

"That's something we have in common."

"That's _the only_ thing we have in common."

This time, Ian tried to come up with a cunning reply, and Janice let him. However, nothing came to him, and they let it go. It was nice just sitting out in the darkness, knowing he had the utmost privacy, even if Janice was with him. She wasn't saying anything, and Ian realized that that was how he liked her best.

"So, what's this I hear about Amy Cahill?" she asked casually, breaking the silence. Ian at once felt a mix of anger and embarrassment rushing through him.

"It's nothing," he replied, and Janice raised her eyebrows.

"I'm curious now. It's not like I'm going to run off and tell her how you feel about her."

"She's Grace Cahill's granddaughter, and that's all you need to know," Ian snapped.

"I don't think so," Janice continued testily, but her tone of voice signified she wasn't trying to make Ian angry. "If we're going to try and get this Cahill girl, I want to know exactly how we can use your relationship with her to lure her in. If you want success, that's how you'll get it." Ian smirked. "I'm serious, Kabra! But if you don't believe me, you can always turn to dire straits."

"I know how to double cross!" Ian exclaimed suddenly. "I know how to strategize to get information! I'm a Lucian for crying out loud!"

"But you're using your charm wrong!" Janice insisted.

"How would you know? Seeing you have so little of it yourself," he snapped harshly. Janice was taken aback, but he did not apologize. She simply pursed her lips.

"Look at Jack."

_Jack._ The boy who had used his charm against Natalie when they first met. Jack, who intrigued both of them when he was negotiating an alliance. Jack, Jack, Jack. He was mystifying and incredibly conceited, but it worked every time. And was Ian any different? Was he much different from Jack?

"Who knows how he does it," Janice said instantly, after reading Ian' thoughts. "But look at him. You can't just charm your way through everything; you have to have an ulterior motive." Ian didn't reply. "I want you to call Amy Cahill right now."

"But I don't –" He was about to lie about not having her number, but Janice held her hand up.

"I know you have it."

"Sometimes I wonder how you're not a Lucian," Ian muttered.

"It's never been proven," Janice smirked.

"What am I supposed to say though –"

"Listen to me. I want you to tell her that she is far behind. There is no point in trying to continue. It'll make her hesitant, and isn't that what you want?" Ian raised his eyebrows. "And it's not a lie. There are probably at least ten clues in my parent's journal, including the one she's looking for. And your mother has clues as well. They don't have what their parents left them at all." Ian didn't question how she knew so much about Amy and Dan. The only thought that was lingering in his mind was,_ why hadn't he thought of that?_

"Did you come up with that by yourself?" he asked. Janice snorted.

"No. Jack told me. You're right, Ian. I don't have an ounce of charm in my body. If I did, I would make the phone call myself, but we don't want Amy knowing you're in an alliance. Go on, call."

"Wait a minute… did you just call me Ian?" It was such a small detail, but Ian had never heard Janice use his first name, unless she was mocking him. But here she was, helping him with Amy and using his first name.

"No, no way," she sputtered. "I did not."

"Who are you, and what did you do with Janice?"

"Shut up, Kabra, and make the call."

Ian grinned as he pulled out his phone and dialed Amy's number. Janice leaned in closer so she could hear their conversation. The phone rang once before Amy picked it up.

"Hello?" she asked, and Ian felt himself grinning.

"Hi, Amy. It's Ian," he spoke. "Been thinking about me?" he said smoothly, causing Janice to roll her eyes.

"What do _you_ want?" she demanded, but Ian knew she was scared. "Wait – how did you get this number?"

Ian glanced at Janice, who whispered, "Don't answer."

"I'm worried about you. You're in way over your head, love. You should be careful who you trust." He held back a laugh as she immediately got defensive. Janice nodded in approval, and Ian's grin broadened as he listened.

"I can check you and your sister off my list! And don't call me love!" she exclaimed.

"Look, Amy," he sighed heavily, "I've been trying to play nice. You and Dan are fun to chase…" Janice mouthed the words _Say it now_. "But there's something you should know."

"What's that?" she asked, and Ian felt he had taken control of their conversation. It was in the bag.

"You're hopelessly behind," he said a matter-of-factly. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, but lots of clues have already been found, including the one you're looking for."

"You're lying!" she yelled. "You don't even know where we're going. Yeah, I know all about it. You're stuck out in Siberia somewhere." Ian choked back a laugh, and Janice moved away from the phone and lied flat on her back, staring at the sky. "Well, here's a surprise for you, Ian. You're three thousand miles from where you need to be."

He couldn't help himself from releasing a sly laugh.

"Oh, Amy," he said in between chuckles. "If only you knew the truth. You can't say I didn't warn you." With that, he hung up the phone and stuck it back in his pocket.

"Not bad," Janice mused.

"No, it wasn't, was it?" he remarked conceitedly. She ignored him. "I'm going to ask you a question. And you're going to tell me the truth."

"You can't tell me what to do," she snapped.

"How do you know Irina Spasky?" he continued without her consent. As soon as the words had come out of his mouth, Janice's face turned a stony gray. Her mouth twitched to a scowl before she answered.

"She's my aunt."

"Mmhm… is that all? Why didn't you go to live with her instead of your drunkard uncle?"

"She's a KGB agent, and you know that! I know that you know that! It wasn't her choice."

"So, do you hate her or something? When Natalie and I were talking about her, you and your brother seemed to recognize her name. That's when I figured it out."

"Jack's never liked her, and she doesn't really like him. Well, that's not true. It just reminds her of her own son who died. She doesn't like remembering. I admire her. I want to be a KGB spy."

Ian's eyebrows rose. "You do?"

"Anything else you would like to know?"

"No. And I'm cold, so I'm going inside," he said dismissively, quickly standing up. He had found out what he needed to. Janice didn't look at him; her eyes were still on the ocean. "You coming?"

"No, I am going to stay out here a little while. Tell Jack I will be there in a minute, will you?"

"Sure, Janice."

Ian made his way back to the resort, walking briskly. That was probably the oddest conversation he had ever experienced in his entire life. Whenever he had a conversation with somebody, he was in control. He knew where it was going and even how it was going to end. This one with Janice… it was so unpredictable. As he walked, a thought occurred to him. _Was that what peasant conversations were like?_

He quickly pushed the thought out of his mind as he made his way to the elevator and then to the top floor where his suite was.

Now all he wanted was to go to sleep. It had been a long day, and he had a feeling it was only going to get even worse tomorrow.

He walked into their suite and shut the door gently in case Natalie was asleep. Then he made his way around the bathroom, kitchen, and TV area – only the best for the Kabras, even if they were probably only staying one night – and plopped onto his freshly made bed.

It smelled wonderful, and he was about to fall asleep right there until he heard Natalie say something.

Ian and Natalie's beds were close to each other, but there were light curtains surrounding each of the beds for privacy. Ian sat up and saw her silhouette sitting on her own bed.

"Don't leave…" Her voice trailed off. Ian was about to reply that he wasn't going anywhere when someone else spoke.

"Why?" It sounded like Jack.

"Ian's not back yet, and that means your sister probably isn't either, so you have no reason to go," Natalie replied. Ian knew this wasn't true. Natalie didn't like to be alone, ever. Whether it was her adoring servants or Ian himself, she had to have someone.

"Sure, Miss Kabra."

Yeah, definitely Jack.

Ian saw his shadow sitting next to her on the bed. They sat in silence for a while before Jack spoke again. "Do you miss New England?"

"Sometimes, when I actually have time to think about it. What about you? Do you miss Kyrgyzstan?"

"Kyrgyzstan… not my favorite place on Earth. I mean, there are a few good things about it." Ian could just see Jack flashing Natalie a signature grin, but Natalie snorted.

"Like all your drooling fans, I'm sure," she replied silkily.

"Actually, yeah." Natalie gave a sarcastic laugh. "No, I'm serious," Jack said. "One of them is my girlfriend… or the closest person that's ever come close to being a girlfriend. Her name was Natasha."

"You must not have loved her that much," Natalie said wryly, and Jack became immediately defensive. Ian almost laughed, though he didn't know why. It was such a cruel thing to say.

"What? Of course I did."

"You left her behind very quickly."

Silence.

"Is life always like this for you? On the run from everyone, and everyone on the run from you?" He changed the subject. Natalie didn't answer right away.

"Pretty much. But it's not like we have a choice." It's exactly what Ian would have said.

"No. You do have a choice."

Ian got up off his bed, went over to the TV area, and sat on the couch. Fatigue was taking over, and he wasn't about to start snoring. He began to doze a little as Natalie and Jack continued their conversation until he heard a guitar clank.

"Do you seriously believe you'll still have time to play that?" Natalie asked. "I just told you, we're constantly on the run from everyone –" Jack strummed a cord, cutting her off.

"Relax," he purred. "And I'll play you one of my favorites."

"You're positively preposterous," Natalie sniffed, but Jack didn't listen to her. He began to play some slow cords on the guitar. Ian grew a bit drowsier with each sound that echoed from the acoustic instrument.

"Lie down," Jack cooed delicately as he continued strumming to a steady rhythm. "You know you want to…" Natalie snickered quietly, probably at how ridiculous it sounded, but Ian saw her silhouette obey, and Jack began to sing.

_When I see your smile, tears run down my face  
I can't replace  
And now that I'm strong I have figured out  
How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul  
And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one_

_I will never let you fall_  
_I'll stand up with you forever_  
_I'll be there for you through it all_  
_Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

_Seasons are changing_  
_And waves are crashing_  
_And stars are falling all for us_  
_Days grow longer and nights grow shorter_  
_I can show you I'll be the one_

_I will never let you fall_  
_I'll stand up with you forever_  
_I'll be there for you through it all_  
_Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

He strummed a final cord, and Ian heard Natalie breathing steadily. Jack had sung her to sleep. And that was no easy task. Ian heard him quietly pack up his guitar and emerge from behind the curtains. Ian bolted upright, ignoring his tired bones. He quickly stood.

"Oh, Ian," Jack said wearily, stopping in his tracks. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long," Ian replied. "Janice told me to tell you that she would be inside in a minute."

"You left her outside alone?"

"I think she can handle herself," Ian replied, and Jack smirked.

"Thanks, Ian."

"For what?" he asked, eyebrows raised. Jack shook his head and swung his guitar case over his shoulder, which made him look very much like a rock star. At first, Ian thought Jack was going to say something cheesy, like, "For everything." But he didn't.

He just nodded slightly before exiting the room without another word.

* * *

**Next Chapter: Sneak Attack**


	11. Sneak Attack

**Special thanks to: ** _Another Artist, Ballet Reader, Just a Fan, Syberian Quest, ABetterNinjaThanDanCahill, fundog111, Northernlight24, _**and**_ FallingStar17_ **for reviewing the last chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 10 - Sneak Attack**

_~ Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future ~  
-Adolf Hitler_

"It is too dangerous to go after KGB agents, just plucking them off one by one. With all due respect, sir, how can this even be _considered_ as the only option? We may have the element of surprise on our side, but it is still far too risky," a Perhetigue agent reasoned in Russian after listening to his leader's plan.

"Corporal, every plan that is proposed will be risky," a young female agent snapped back. "I think that this extermination plot is a perfectly logical proposal. The element of surprise is not the only thing we have going for us. From the sounds of it, there will be five of us against one. This plan is golden! It is better than anything _you_ have come up with, at least." Satisfied with the silence that followed, she leaned back in her chair and swung her heavy boots onto the edge of the long table.

"But – but sir!" The first agent turned to his leader, borderlining desperation. "Do you not want this to be less open to public eye? Based on how you presented the plan, I believed we did not want the rest of the KGB to realize what we are doing. We do not want them to realize that the Perhetigue is back in the first place! Killing KGB agents… it just doesn't seem right."

"He never said that the entire world was going to see every single move we make!" yelled the female agent furiously, her patience diminishing fast. "But we _will _have to take risks. If you have any other _brilliant_ ideas, I'm sure he would be glad to hear them. But seeing as you have none, I suggest you shut it."

"I wasn't asking _you_," he argued. "Why don't you let _him_ make the final decision!" Both members of the Perhetigue turned to face their leader whose face was in the shadows. They leaned their heads in and eagerly waited to be told that their side of the argument was the correct side.

"Feet down," their leader snapped in his deep, raspy voice. The female agent gave a scowl of disgust as she swung her feet back onto the floor.

"So?" she pressed.

"My decision is final," he said, standing up. The first agent gave a frown in disapproval and stood as well.

"But, Commander Petrov, I –"

"Final!" the Commander barked, and the first agent sat back down. The Commander continued with his plan, "I think it is clear that we will be disposing of the most beloved KGB lap dogs first," he spat disdainfully.

Every member of the Perhetigue knew that their leader had once been a member of the KGB. However, things went dreadfully wrong and he was cruelly fired. He was lucky to be alive. But instead of returning to a normal lifestyle, he created the Perhetigue, a deadly spy force, a lethal rival to KGB spies. The KGB had overpowered the Perhetigue ten years ago, but now, the leader was strong in followers. They were ready for revenge, and they had a terrible advantage: a list of KGB members and their personal files. Soon, the Perhetigue would replace the KGB as one of the best spy agencies in the world.

The female agent quietly cleared her throat.

"Yes?" Commander Petrov asked her.

"The files," she replied, handing him a folder with the word c_lassified_ stamped in red on the front. He gracefully took the folder to keep the many papers from sliding around and opened it. Every pair of eyes in the room watched him skim through each of the KGB agents' files. His eyes darted across each page, and depending on the content, he would either would tighten his lips and place it on the table or skip it. An eerie silence filled the room as he sorted through about fifty pages. There were definitely more, but he had only managed to grab a single folder which contained information on Agents Q-T.

When he finished sorting through them all, he called everyone to gather around him. About thirty-five highly-trained spies rose from their seats and made a tight semi-circle around their leader and the papers.

"We're splitting up," he said. "There will be five to a group, understood? We will knock out seven agents by the end of the week."

"Don't you think that's a little –" the female agent began, but he cut her off.

"This is what we were trained for," he snapped. "Specifically, _you_." She lowered her head in shame. She was the only female in the room and also the second youngest, no less.

"I am sorry, Father. Please continue your explanation." He gave a slight grunt in her direction before continuing.

He divided up the agents that stood around him. As each person was sorted, his daughter slowly examined the crowd. Some of them were filled with anticipation and couldn't wait to get back on the field again, while others were full of anxiety as they awaited their first mission. She examined her nails and flipped her ponytail as she waited for her call. Finally, her father put her with four male agents. Two of them looked quite brutal. The other two were pretty average in terms of muscle and size.

"This is a sabotage mission," her father told the crowd. "Decide among you right now who will be the leader."

She turned to the men around her who were all already arguing with each other.

"I am the leader," she stated firmly, and their arguing ceased. They knew better than to argue with her for multiple reasons. One, her father was the leader of the Perhetigue, and if they complained, he would most likely dismiss them mercilessly. Second, even if he didn't fire them, they knew that she would kick their sorry butts.

"I have assigned each group to a file," the Commander said, walking around, handing each group a small packet of papers. "The location where they were last seen is included as well. You are in charge of the mission now. You each have different tactics, and you each have different specialties. I have done my best to make sure you can use your individual talents against each specific KGB agent."

He stopped talking as he handed his daughter her file. As she took it, they made eye contact for a minute before he continued talking.

"Your mission begins immediately," he said, his voice full of power and determination. "And you will not fail me," he hissed as an ending note.

The Perhetigue spies stood at attention as he left. His last words hung in the air. When the door closed, they relaxed and began to talk among themselves about their first mission. All their voices were mysteriously low. They would not let their fellow agents hear each cunning tactic they would use to slaughter their KGB agent.

"I don't know what he thinks he is doing," one member of her group whispered. "Sending us out in groups of five. It more efficient if we do the sabotage as singles." The girl turned sharply and made direct eye contact. He looked back at her, his face calm but eyes full of fear.

"If you disagree with my father's tactics, I am sure he would be happy to dismiss you from the squad, Agent Wordon. I know I would," she snapped. "Besides, this is an agency that has always been concerned with its numbers. You must understand that this isn't like the KGB. We make decisions as a group here." She knew that the only reason for this was because her father knew that being alone was a weakness. He was the only one standing against the KGB for a long time, and he resented being solitary.

"Yes, Miss Petrov," Agent Wordon replied politely, though his eyes were deadly. She glared at him for a moment before speaking again.

"We're planning an assassination," she spoke to her entire squad in a smooth, even tone. "You all better step up to the plate, because I will not be embarrassed by poor performance. I will not hesitate to bring you down if you do not fulfill your duties." She paused dramatically to let her words sink in. "We were given this agent for a reason," she continued. "I've been gathering information on her family for a long time, and I know exactly where she is."

The other agents in her group took a look at the KGB agent's profile. The woman in the photograph was not young, but she wasn't elderly either. Her short blonde hair hung above her shoulders, and her red scarf stood out against the stormy grey background. Agent Petrov smirked as she recognized the resemblance between this woman and her nephew. The name on the page was one she was most familiar with…

_Irina Spasky._

"Miss Spasky tries to disconnect herself from her family," Agent Petrov continued. "But I know for a fact that if something happened to her niece or nephew, she would come running."

"Do you know the location of her niece and nephew?" Agent Wordon questioned. "Or did you fail to –"

"They are in Siberia," Agent Petrov snapped. "Or if they are not, then they soon will be. Once we arrive there, finding them will be simple."

"You underestimate this task," he said bluntly as if he were speaking to a child. "How do you _know_ they are in Siberia?"

"This," she said, holding up a pager. "I have her nephew's cell phone number, and while he wasn't looking, I slipped in a tracking device. Do you have any other dumb questions, or shall I carry on?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "As I was saying, if we attack Miss Spasky's family, we will only be a kick and a stab away from finishing her off."

"So what do you suggest we do first?" another agent in her squad asked.

Agent Petrov's eyes narrowed and she stated simply, "Go to Siberia. There, we shall be patient as we wait for our prey."

* * *

**Next Chapter: Double Assault**


	12. Double Assault

**Notes: -First thing I've posted in months.  
-A lot of this material continues to tie in with **_The Black Circle_**.  
-This was originally going to be longer, but I divided it into two chapters. I figured I should probably post something before all my readers become extinct… too late.**

**Special thanks to:** _Cecelia S. Bradley, Syberian Quest, Northernlight24, _**and **_Ballet Reader._

**Dedication: **_Syberian Quest._ **Your review actually made me emotional. You are such a respected author **_**now**_** that I am so flattered you would say that **_**before**_** you… er, got famous. I hope you enjoy this – even though I'm out of practice. :)**

* * *

_Subjects: Ian and Natalie Kabra  
Last seen at: Sochi resort  
Last seen: Alone  
Details: Last we left Ian and Natalie, they were at the Sochi resort. This was after Ian had learned the truth about the Viners and their relation to Irina Spasky._

**Chapter 11 – Double Assault**

"Waiting for Irina to call us is like waiting for Amy Cahill to confess her undying love for Ian. Never going to happen!" Natalie flopped back on the luxurious couch in their suite and moaned, "I feel so useless." Ian gave her a disapproving glare. His cheeks reddened.

"Strategizing involves patience. You should practice," he said shortly. "It's only been a few hours."

"It'll be exactly _twelve _hours and three minutes," she retorted.

"And you've been sleeping for seven of those hours!" her brother argued, but even he seemed to be growing a little antsy. Natalie scowled at him.

The Viners didn't seem to be giving them the time of day. Janice was flipping through the journal to see if there were any distinguishable leads, and Jack was practicing his smile in front of the mirror.

"We should do something fun," he said through a toothy grin. "You know, to pass the time." Natalie sat up nice and straight.

"Like shopping?" she asked, her heart pitter-pattering with excitement. Jack frowned.

"That's not fun," he said flatly, and Natalie gasped dramatically.

"Well, what's your idea of fun?" Ian asked him. "Accidentally walking into the girl's bathroom?" Janice choked back a laugh, and Ian glanced over at her. She quickly turned back to the notebook and absent-mindedly turned a page even though Natalie was almost positive she hadn't read a word.

"There is a beach right outside this hotel and you think I want to walk into a girl's bathroom?" His eyes wandered for a minute as if mulling something over. "I mean… if there was _not_ a beach outside this hotel, I might be so bored that I would be forced to –"

"To the beach it is!" Janice interrupted, snapping the journal shut.

Not that they actually went into the water. Natalie and Ian sat on luxurious beach chairs. Janice was looking through the journal again, deep in thought, and Jack was staring out at the water longingly. But as soon as a group of girls in bright bikinis walked past, he quickly cheered up and practiced his best smile. Natalie rolled her eyes and turned to Ian.

"How much did you hear last night?" she asked. He blinked.

"Nothing Janice hadn't already told me," he answered then stopped for a moment before saying, "And I thought that you were asleep."

"So you know that Irina Spasky is their aunt," she said, purposely avoiding his observation. Ian gave a slight nod and she relaxed. "I saw the resemblance right away," continued, placing her hands behind her head.

"Did you now." Ian's voice was monotone. "What do you think this means for us?"

Natalie didn't even steal a glance at her brother before answering his question.

"Absolutely nothing."

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the time of peace. It had been so long since there had actually been a free moment to just do nothing. She should have known it wouldn't last.

Natalie had just begun to dose off when a couple things happened at once.

She heard Janice's voice, caught somewhere between panic and excitement, yelling that they needed to leave. Her allies' shadows loomed over her sunlight as Janice explained to Ian what she had deciphered in the notebook. Apparently, Amy Cahill was right; they were in the wrong place and needed to go to Siberia.

As her brother politely questioned her theory, the much-awaited phone call from Irina confirmed it. They needed to leave immediately.

Natalie felt as if she was sleepwalking the next few hours.

Because the next thing she knew, she was boarding a plane and on her way to the Road of Bones.

* * *

"It's around somewhere, I swear," Janice insisted. "It's right here in my parent's notes. The clue will probably be further up the road." Natalie sighed and pressed her forehead gently to soothe her piercing headache. She still wasn't used to the jet lag, and this trip had come on such short notice.

"I don't see anything, Janice," Jack yawned. "Are you sure?" Janice nodded.

They continued their slow drive.

The sky was overcast, and the only surrounding sound was of the Kabras' large Land Rover making its way over a bumpy street. Their search was creepily silent, especially with the nagging thought that they were traveling over dead people.

All of a sudden, Janice shouted, "Look there!" and pointed at something on the side of the road. "Just drive a little closer," she said. Natalie craned her neck to see why Janice was so excited, but there was nothing out of the ordinary in sight.

"What is it?" Ian asked.

"It… It looks like a stake." Janice squinted.

"Lovely," Natalie said. "I didn't know that there was one of those at _every single mark,_" she drawled sarcastically, but Janice ignored her.

"This one is in the ground crooked, like someone has pulled it up once before," she said.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling was heard.

Janice glared at Jack.

"I ate before we left!" he yelled defensively.

The rumbling slowly grew louder as whatever was making the noise grew closer. Everyone was silent as they tried to distinguish where the noise was coming from.

"That is most definitely not Jack's stomach," Natalie said quietly. She peered out the front window of their Land Rover. Her pulse began to race.

"I don't know… It can be pretty loud sometimes," Ian began.

"It's the Holts!" Natalie cried, seeing an enormous truck coming straight towards them. Ian groaned.

"Not those dimwits again."

The driver stopped the car, and Ian took charge of the situation.

"Janice, go find out what that… Whatever it is you saw, find out what it is. Jack, cover your sister. Natalie, you and I will deal with the Holts. Let's move!" Everyone leapt into action, doing exactly as Ian had ordered.

"Wait," Natalie called to Jack. "Take this." She handed him a small earpiece as Ian and Janice rushed away in opposite directions. "It's so we can keep in touch easier," she explained, placing it in her ear. Delicately, he did the same.

"Good thinking. See you in a few." He nimbly ran off behind his sister. Soon, his silhouette was nothing more than a shadow in the dust. Natalie ran over to where Ian was standing ready to face what lay ahead.

"Try not to get hurt, okay?" she heard Jack tell her through the headset.

"_I_won't get hurt. You watch your back now."

Jack chuckled.

"What's the worst that could happen?" And the connection went dead.

"A lot of things," Natalie whispered. Ian glanced down at her, a slight look of disapproval on his face.

"Don't get too attached to him," he said. His eyes innocently wandered for a moment, then he leaned down so he was closer to her height. "Oh, and he's four years older than you, you know," he reminded her curtly. Natalie's eyebrow twitched. Everything was always a love game as far as Ian was concerned.

"You're one to talk," she snapped. "Ever since you and Janice had that little episode on the beach, _you_haven't been the same. For bloody sake, you didn't even notice that I stole your hand moisturizer!" Ian's eyes bulged.

"You stole my _moisturizer_?" he roared, but their argument was cut short when a large KAMAZ truck rumbled into view. Ian regained his composure and muttered, "Are you ready to face them, Natalie?" He was obviously still angry about their last run-in with the Holts. Natalie could still smell that putrid meat.

"Bring it."

Their bodyguards emerged from the Land Rover, and they all made a run towards the KAMAZ. _We're mental,_ Natalie thought. _Are we really running straight towards a million-pound hunk of machine? Oh, yes, Natalie, and it was your lovely brother's idea. Imagine that._

But even though the Kabras and their bodyguards were right in front of the KAMAZ, Eisenhower swerved right past them.

"Hey! Where are they –" Ian began.

The Holt's massive truck continued down the street and straight towards Ian and Natalie's abandoned Land Rover. Natalie realized what they were doing only a moment too late. In less than a second, the Russian truck crushed the car. Ian and Natalie were thunderstruck and left staring stupidly at what was once their only mode of transportation. They could hear the Holts' loud screams of delight from where they were standing. The KAMAZ turned around with much difficulty – seeing as it did take up three-quarters of the road alone – and headed straight towards them, smoke billowing behind it.

Natalie didn't need Ian to say, "It's payback time."

Running as fast as their legs could carry them, the Kabras and their body guards sprinted towards the Holts. As they grew nearer to the truck, Ian noticed Hamilton talking on the phone. As soon as he caught sight of the Kabras, he began speaking very quickly then tossed his phone to Mary-Todd.

Eisenhower and Hamilton leapt from the KAMAZ, ready to attack, but the Kabras' bodyguard was too fast. He socked Eisenhower square in the face. Ian and Natalie were about ready to burst out laughing as Mary-Todd yelled, "PUNCH HIM BACK, EISENHOWER!" Eisenhower furiously chased after the bodyguard who had punched him.

Natalie jumped Hamilton… again. Hamilton tried to shake her off, but without success. Ian noticed that he was holding something. His eyes widened, and he tried to make eye contact with Natalie. When he finally succeeded, she got the message.

_Stall Hamilton._

"You enjoying this, Hammer?" Natalie taunted.

"Get off of me," Hamilton growled.

"You know how many boys would _love_to be in the situation you're in?" she replied sweetly. Ian quickly moved around them, trying to grab what Hamilton was so carefully protecting.

"Disgusting!" Hamilton yelled, shaking even more vigorously. Finally, Ian got a good opening, took hold of the object, and pulled with all his might. Still, Hamilton would not let go. They played tug-of-war for a while, but with Natalie on his back, Hamilton was momentarily weakened. Ian got a better grip on the object, and Natalie saw that up close, it resembled a sculpted head.

The Kabra's second bodyguard came over to assist them, but Hamilton somehow regained his strength all at once. He raised his arms high in such a swift motion that Ian lost his grip and fell flat on his back. Then, with all his power, Hamilton clobbered the bodyguard right over the head. Natalie was thrown off his back, and Hamilton escaped unharmed.

Their bodyguard howled in pain. The edge of the head had gotten his nose, and it was gushing blood. Natalie cringed at the sight. Ian gently sent him back to the crunched Land Rover.

"Call a tow truck," he said. "We'll take care of them."

As their injured driver left, Ian back turned to Natalie.

"Dart gun?" he asked. She retrieved it from her back pocket, and they took off after Hamilton. As they ran, Natalie yelled into her headset.

"Jack! We have a situation here. Whatever Janice saw, I think the Holts grabbed it first."

"What is it we're after, Miss Kabra?" he panted, and she could tell they were running as fast as they could. "Whoa! What happened to the Land Rover?"

"That's a story for another time. We're after a… It's a sculpted head. We're hot on Hamilton's trail. He has it. He managed to escape from us, and we're down one bodyguard and –"

"And you need our help," he completed.

"I wouldn't go that far, but yes, a little assistance would be appreciated right now."

"We're almost there, Natalie."

Their connection broke.

"We cannot rely on them at the moment," Ian told her. "We have to find – "

Eisenhower grabbed Ian from behind. Natalie screamed and shot her dart gun at him square in the face. Eisenhower spun around to avoid it, so the dart slid into his middle back and his grip on Ian loosened. Natalie grabbed her brother in hopes of making a quick getaway, but Eisenhower wouldn't be stopped that easily. With a loud grunt, he grabbed the tiny dart with difficulty, which had managed not to sink in all the way, and flung it on the ground. He released a howl of pain, but recovered quickly and thundered after Ian and Natalie. Natalie kept trying to aim the gun, but Eisenhower was a moving target. It would be nearly impossible to run and shoot accurately.

"Get back in the car!" they heard Eisenhower yell at his son, and Hamilton obeyed without question.

"No!" Natalie shouted, seeing their only chance of getting the clue disappear behind a wall of metal.

Without aiming properly, she stopped running, pointed her gun, and pulled the trigger.

Eisenhower's cry was deafening. Natalie had made a direct hit, though she had no idea where, but she knew that if one dart would slow him down, another could –

She pulled the trigger again, but nothing shot out of the muzzle except a harmless puff of air.

"I'm out of darts…" she breathed, not comprehending what the words meant yet.

"Natalie, we need to get out of here now," she heard Jack say slowly through the headset.

"No! Not when we're so close."

"Natalie, listen to me." Janice was speaking now. "If you're out of darts, then we are just about powerless against these people. If we don't get the clue today, there's always tomorrow. Sometimes we just have to be able to let go and recognize when we're beat – "

"We are never beaten!" Natalie cried, but before she could justify the statement, Eisenhower's family helped him into their KAMAZ. Hamilton was still holding onto the clue as tightly as he could. The truck's wheels grinded against the road as it drove as far away from the Road of Bones as it could. Ian and Natalie were left standing in front of their busted Land Rover, sweaty, dart-less, and breathing heavily. They had lost their Land Rover, the clue, and a huge chunk of their pride.

They were beaten.

* * *

Agent Petrov's mouth spread into a coy smile as she lowered her glasses and listened to her fellow agent describe what had happened to the Viners and Kabras at the Road of Bones. She chuckled quietly at their embarrassing defeat.

"Poor Kabras," she whispered. "You have nowhere to run now."

"What do we do now, Agent Petrov?" Agent Wordon whispered. "Their chauffer is calling for a tow truck as we speak."

Agent Petrov fingered the hand gun that held snugly at her waist.

"Move out."

* * *

**Next Chapter: Recovery**


	13. Deadly Pursuit

**Note: I know in the last chapter I said the next chapter would be "Recovery," but it got a little long, so I split it into two chapters.**

**Special thanks to: **_Volcanic Lily, Cecily, music4evah, luverinreadin, Syberian Quest, magicdemi-god223, _**and **_SpiritWolf14 _**for reviewing the last chapter.**

* * *

_Subjects: Ian and Natalie Kabra  
Last seen at: The Road of Bones  
Last seen with: Jack and Janice Viner, the Holts  
Details: Ian and Natalie had a rough day after taking a beating from the Holts on the Road of Bones, and the day's not over yet…_

**Chapter 12 – Deadly Pursuit**

In short, Natalie was pissed.

Just a little bit.

"LOOK AT ME! This is a disaster!" she cried once she and Ian had reunited with the Viners at the busted Land Rover. Natalie's hair was tangled beyond hope of repair, and her expensive clothing was unrecognizable – covered in dirt and rips – after their full-out rumble with Eisenhower and Hamilton Holt.

Without saying a word to anyone, she angrily stomped over to the broken car and slumped into the back seat, shrilly muttering, "This clue hunt is stupid. Stupid! Stupid! _Stupid!_" She could see their chauffeur calling the tow truck from her seat, cradling his broken nose. His white tissue was half-soaked in blood. Anger bubbled in Natalie's chest. This was the third time they had been bested by the Holts. It would be the last.

"The big guy is quicker than he looks," said Ian, referring to Eisenhower. "I'd hate to take him on when his back is working properly." His hair was mangled again and dirt streaked his face, but dark clothing still looked in tact. Well, that figures since he didn't have tackle anyone… or shoot anyone… or do anything productive at all.

This was when Natalie came to the mental conclusion that her brother had been quite useless. She was the one who had shot the dart into Eisenhower's back. Ian had simply tugged at the clue in Hamilton's arms. He had _held it in his very hands_, yet he let Hamilton pull it away in the end. What else had he done to contribute? She honestly couldn't think of a single thing.

"Face it, Ian, we've hit bottom," she said sharply. "They trashed the car. We're sitting on a road of _peasant bones_, and we're stuck in Siberia. It's a nightmare. I WANT TO GO HOME!"

Ian's mouth twisted, and his eyebrow twitched. His sister stared him down until he stormed away with his phone in hand, leaving Natalie fuming in the back seat. A few feet away, he dialed a number and held it to his ear.

"It's okay," Jack said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It just wasn't our day."

Natalie had almost forgotten that the twins were even there. _They _hadn't helped at all either. She shrugged Jack's hand off.

"Just take it all in," he told her quietly.

She watched as Janice walked over to Ian who was talking to Irina, no doubt, probably much louder than he had intended.

"Our day isn't going as well as I'd expected," he snapped. "I hope you have better news for me." Natalie recognized that her brother was truly angry when he was unable to hide the bitterness and frustration in his voice. He paused as he listened to her response and took a deep breath. Janice joined him; their backs faced Natalie and Jack.

"You have to get rid of them," Ian said slowly. Janice's blue eyes grew huge, and he turned away from her. "They're working with the Holts, and I'm pretty certain they've relayed another message. Dan and Amy are too close," he said, justifying his words more to himself rather than to Janice or Irina.

"Ian," Janice gasped. "How could you?!"

He paused. "Get them out of Russia."

Janice sighed with relief, and Natalie angrily watched from the sidelines. Jack had told her to take it all in. How could she even think about taking it all in when her teammate was making important decisions without her?

"Relay the details when you've accomplished your task." Seconds later, he closed the phone and walked back to the Rover with Janice. Natalie's frown deepened.

"So, what was that about?" she asked lightly as if she hadn't heard a thing.

"I needed to call Irina. She's not faring much better," he replied. Natalie motioned at Jack to climb out of the car, and she followed behind him.

"So, why are you making decisions without my input?" she asked in the same tone.

"When did you become my mother?" Ian demanded.

"Hey, easy you two," Janice said, but Natalie hardly heard her. Everything that Ian was doing these days was making her mad. They were arguing more than ever.

"I am _not_ Mum," she said matter-of-factly. "But _you_ are in need of a little reality check that only Mum can give. How about we call her up and let her know how _you_ hardly helped me back there!"

"Now hold it a minute. _You_ are the one who didn't check to see if you were running low on darts. If it weren't for you, we could've pursued the Holts and gotten the clue!"

"How would we do that without the Land Rover? It was _your_ idea to run toward the KAMAZ, which is why our car got crushed!"

"They would've killed it anyway, even if we were inside!"

The two stood eyed each other, frozen with anger, their chests rising and falling with every breath.

"Guys… There's someone watching us," Jack said softly, breaking the tense silence. All heads slowly turned to see a man standing in the middle of the road a few blocks away. Only his silhouette was visible, but he was unmistakably holding a gun in his right hand.

And it was pointed straight at them.

"Get down!" Ian yelled.

Everyone ducked into the car just as a bullet pierced the cracked mirror exactly where Natalie's head had been a second before. Her eyes were bloodshot as broken glass shattered around her.

Natalie's heart raced. _Who in the Clue Hunt would actually try to kill them_? Isabel was right. Some people would stop at nothing to win this. It was better to kill them before they killed you.

"Note to self: ask Mum for a real gun next time," she said. Janice unsheathed her knife just as another bullet sliced through the crushed bumper like it was made of tissue. It soared out the front of the car. They all huddled closer together.

"We're not safe here," Janice growled.

"Where do you suggest we go?!" Jack demanded.

"I'm trying to figure it out!" she barked back. "I would love to hear any of _your _bright ideas."

"There was only one man. He can't go after all of us at the same time," Jack reasoned at rapid pace. There are trees all along the side of the road. If we can disappear into those, we should be fine."

"You're mental," Natalie cried.

"How do we know there isn't more than one?" Janice demanded loudly.

"Are you suggesting we _run_?!" Ian shouted at him incredulously.

A third bullet shattered the windshield, and glass strewn around them. Natalie shrieked. There wasn't any time to waste before he got a direct hit.

"RUN!" Ian yelled.

The four all took off in different directions without any further questions.

Natalie sprinted away from the Road of Bones and into the grassy area. She heard more faraway gunshots as she threw herself into a patch of nearby trees. The ground was slick with muddy water beneath her shoes. She lunged deeper into the forest and clung onto a cold tree trunk for dear life. Her lungs filled with marshy air that was released in broken breaths. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so purely petrified. Another gunshot rang out – much louder and closer this time – and broke past more trees, further away from the road. Blood coursed through her body at a quickened rate. She didn't know how long she would be able to keep this up.

An awful thought entered her mind. How would she find Ian again? If this man was truly trying to kill them, he wouldn't stop until the job was done. _Oh, Ian was so idiotic. _Splitting up was the dumbest idea –

Her foot caught on a root in the ground, and Natalie tumbled into the mud. She landed on her knees then fell onto her hands, feeling like crying… until she saw the figure looming above her.

She slowly looked up. He was a grown man, seeming at least half a foot shorter than the one who had pointed the gun at them a few minutes before. There _were_ more... There were probably several stationed throughout the woods, and the Kabras and Viners had fallen right into their little trap. The man wore all black and practically blended into the tree's shadows. He wore all black and reflective sunglasses so Natalie couldn't see the color of his eyes. All she could see in the dark was a horrible, yellow grin on his face and a small gun in his hand.

"Hello, little girl," he said smoothly in a heavy Russian accent.

Natalie kicked him in the lower shin with all her might, then scrambled to her feet and raced back into the trees. He didn't even wince as he began to clobber after her.

"Ian, help! I need you!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, not stopping to think about the consequences. She glanced back at the scary man who was gaining on her.

"No one can help you now." The man grinned again, making her skin crawl.

"Ian! Ian, where are you?!" she shrieked, her voice breaking. He wasn't answering. "IAN!" A minute ago she was complaining about how useless he had been. Now, she was calling her brother's name because her life depended on it.

Her hands shook with every branch she pushed out of her path. She felt as though her legs were on autopilot as they sprinted through the forest. She heard each beat of her heart thump through her ears.

All of a sudden her foot caught onto a root in the ground, and she was falling again. She tried with all her might to wedge it free, but it was caught tight. Her hands desperately grabbed at the dirt around her as she attempted to crawl away. Tears of frustration rose to her eyes. Natalie Kabra of all people was _not_ supposed to be fighting for her life.

"Jack!" Natalie tried, sheer panic in her voice. "Can you hear me? _Please answer!_" The man grew closer and closer, thoroughly convincing Natalie that she was going to die. Her breath grew shallow. Her legs kicked, her arms flailed, her mind raced. He wouldn't shoot a twelve-year-old girl, would he? He –

– got a lucky shot.

Instantly, red soaked her side. She couldn't even process what had happened. All she knew was that she felt light-headed and dizzy and that the world was spinning.

Natalie saw Ian and Janice racing into the clearing at top speed, assuming the worst. The events around her rolled together then slowly faded to darkness. Ian's eyes filled with terror at the sight of his sister's bleeding waist. His expression immediately changed to anger as he yelled, "Janice! Throw the knife now!" She obeyed without question and hurled it at Natalie's attacker's throat. That was about all she saw.

Jack's voice echoed in her head as he yelled into the headset, "Natalie! Natalie, can you hear me?!" She heard his voice grow considerably more calming, "It's okay. You're going to be okay. I'm coming to get you." before slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

**Next Chapter: Recovery**


End file.
